Delhi-bound Air India flight diverted to Chennai

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs narrowly avoided a serious accident after facing severe turbulence and a technical issue mid-air.

Venugopal, who is also Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, shared his account on social media, describing the journey as '"harrowing”.

He said the flight experienced strong turbulence shortly after takeoff, and about an hour later, the captain reported a technical fault and changed course to Chennai.

Venugopal said the plane circled Chennai airport for nearly two hours. During the first attempt to land, the pilot reportedly had to abort the landing due to another aircraft being on the runway. "The captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board," he wrote, calling for an urgent investigation by aviation authorities.

Air India, in its response, denied that another aircraft was on the runway. The airline said the Chennai Air Traffic Control had instructed a go-around during the initial landing attempt — a standard procedure in such conditions.

Flight tracking data showed that the aircraft took off shortly after 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai around 10:35 pm. The number of passengers on board has not been disclosed.

This incident comes amid growing concerns over recent technical snags reported on Air India flights.