‘One of them is…': BJP's Malviya weighs in on KC Venugopal-vs-Air India over ‘close to tragedy' flight scare

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

A senior BJP leader on Monday referred to Air India's denial of Congress MP KC Venugopal's claim of a narrow escape from tragedy during a flight, and demanded that he face consequences if his allegation proves false. KC Venugopal had said an Air India flight carrying MPs from Kerala to Delhi just about avoided a tragedy at the Chennai airport upon diversion there.(ANI)
Venugopal had said an Air India flight carrying MPs, including himself, just about avoided a tragedy at the Chennai airport when another aircraft was on the runway. Air India later rejected his interpretation of the events, to which Venugopal said, 'Air India is lying. It was announced by captain only.'
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared Venugopal's original post, detailing the experience onboard, and Air India's response, and wrote, 'One of them is misrepresenting facts.'
He added, "If the allegation is true, Chennai ATC and Air India have much to answer for. If not, Mr Venugopal should face consequences, including being put on a no-fly list for spreading falsehoods."
KC Venugopal said there was 'heart-stopping moment'
KC Venugopal posted on X shortly after 12 am on Monday describing a 'heart-stopping moment' during the first landing attempt at Chennai, when 'another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway".
He was among several MPs and other passengers on the flight AI 2455 from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi.
He said, 'What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai…
'For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt — another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt.'
Venugopal stressed that passenger safety should not rely on luck and called on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Civil Aviation Ministry to urgently investigate, assign accountability, and prevent such incidents in future.
Notably, as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Venugopal had recently overseen discussions on aviation safety following the Ahmedabad Air India crash.
On Sunday, Air India responded that flight AI2455 was diverted to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue, not because another aircraft was on the runway.
The aviation regulator DGCA confirmed the flight's diversion was caused by suspected weather radar malfunction, with the plane landing safely.
In a statement, Air India said, 'We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions.'
'A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway... Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight,' the airline added.
'We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority.'