New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP targeted Congress leader KC Venugopal after he alleged that an Air India flight he and other MPs were aboard was forced to abort landing at Chennai airport as another aircraft was occupying the runway. However, Air India denied Venugopal's claim.
BJP's in-charge of the National Information & Technology department, Amit Malviya, called the entire situation "extremely serious". Malviya deduced that either the Congress leader of the airline was misrepresenting facts.
"This is extremely serious. If senior Congress leader KC Venugopal claims an Air India flight had to abort landing in Chennai because another aircraft was on the runway and the airline immediately contradicts him, then one of them is misrepresenting facts," the BJP leader said in his X post.
He further added that aviation safety is paramount, and social media posts from supposedly responsible people cannot go unscrutinised. Malviya said that if Venugopal's allegations are not true, then he should face consequences.
"Aviation safety is paramount, and social media posts from supposedly responsible people cannot go unscrutinised. 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," Malviya's post read.
Venugopal's Allegations:
The Congress MP had alleged that Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi "came frighteningly close to tragedy".
"What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence," he said.
The Congress leader also claimed in his X post that the flight kept encircling the Chennai airport for almost two hours as it was awaiting clearance to land.
"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," Venugopal said.
"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. We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck," he added.
The Congress MP urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the incident and fix accountability to avoid such incidents in the furture.
Air India's Statement:
In its statement, Air India clarified 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 said.
"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. Thank you for your understanding," it added.
