DGCA rejects KC Venugopal’s claim, says Air India flight’s go-around at Chennai airport not due to presence on another plane on runway

“After the aircraft was cleared for approach Runway 25 at Chennai, at 2219 IST aircraft was instructed to carry out a missed approach by ATC as departing Gulf Air flight GFA053 (Chennai-Bahrain) reported debris on (the) left side of runway. Apron control carried out inspection of the runway and nothing was observed. Aircraft was given landing clearance and aircraft landed safely at 22:39 IST,” the DGCA said in a statement Monday.

In a post on social media platform X, Venugopal had said, “Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi – carrying myself, several MPs, and hundreds of passengers – came frighteningly close to tragedy today. 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.”

“We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia (DGCA) and @MoCA_GoI (Ministry of Civil Aviation) to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again,” Venugopal had added.

According to the DGCA, the flight’s departure from Thiruvananthapuram was delayed by 49 minutes due to the late arrival of the aircraft from Delhi. “During flight, aircraft encountered moderate turbulent conditions. Crew observed that the weather information depicted on the weather RADAR was not accurate, suspecting weather RADAR malfunction, (they) diverted to Chennai…To avoid overweight landing and burn extra fuel, the aircraft with the ATC clearance orbited 25 NM (nautical miles) northeast of Chennai for 43 minutes,” the regulator said.

Air India said that the pilots of the Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi flight followed protocols and the first landing attempt had to be aborted due to suspected foreign debris presence on the runway. It added that the decision to divert the flight to Chennai was a precautionary measure and was taken in the best interest of the safety of passengers and crew due to a suspected technical issue. In response to Venugopal’s post on X, the airline also said that the go-around was performed not due to the presence of any other aircraft on the runway, but on the instructions of the Chennai ATC.

“Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight. 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,” the airline said in its response to Venugopal’s social media post. Missed approaches or go-arounds are not uncommon in flight operations, with pilots instructed and trained to abort landing if it is deemed unsafe.

The incident also drew a reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the party’s IT department head Amit Malviya saying that if Venugopal’s version of what transpired is correct, then Chennai ATC and Air India have “much to answer for”, otherwise Venugopal should “face consequences”.

“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,” Malbiya said in a post on X.

“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 added.