Congress MP KC Venugopal Seeks Probe into Air India Flight Scare, Cites Safety Concerns

Congress MP KC Venugopal has urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to launch a thorough investigation into an alleged safety lapse on an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi. The flight, which was carrying Venugopal and several other MPs, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday due to what he described as a “runway scare.”

In a letter to the minister, shared by news agency ANI, Venugopal claimed that the aircraft, during its first landing attempt in Chennai, had to abort just 30 to 40 feet above the runway. According to him, the pilot then performed a sudden steep climb and later informed passengers that the maneuver was necessary due to “something”—reportedly another aircraft—on the runway.

“The plane landed safely on the second attempt,” Venugopal wrote. “However, there was confusion among the ground staff, and passengers were eventually shifted to another aircraft. We finally departed for Delhi past midnight.”

Air India, in response, rejected the claim of a “heart-stopping” near-miss, saying that the pilot was instructed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to perform a go-around after another aircraft that had just taken off from the same runway reported a suspected foreign object debris (FOD). The airline clarified that the decision was made out of caution and that there was no breach of safety.

Still, Venugopal remained critical in his letter, calling the incident “deeply concerning” and drawing attention to recent aviation mishaps — including the fatal Air India Express crash in Ahmedabad on June 12.

“At a time when the country is still reeling from that tragic accident and several technical issues mid-air have been reported in recent months, such lack of transparency from Air India is unacceptable,” he wrote.

He urged the ministry to order a “comprehensive and time-bound investigation” into the incident, covering both technical and procedural aspects. He also demanded that the findings be made public, accountability be fixed, safety protocols for emergency landings and diversions be strengthened, and passengers be provided with timely and honest communication in such scenarios.