In a new political controversy, Air India has rejected Congress MP KC Venugopal’s claim that a flight came “frighteningly close to tragedy” at Chennai airport. The airline’s denial and a DGCA source’s conflicting report have led to a heated exchange, with BJP leader Amit Malviya demanding that Venugopal be placed on a “no-fly list.”
August 11, 2025: A prominent Congress leader named KC Venugopal posted on social media that there was a “runway horror” at Chennai airport. Air India quickly denied this, which set off a political firestorm. The controversy has grown since a BJP leader has called for action against the MP, and this is happening at a time when people in India are more worried about aviation safety.
Venugopal, an MP from Alapuzzha, wrote on X about a “harrowing journey” he took on an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi. He said that the flight was rerouted to Chennai because of a technical problem, and that during the initial landing attempt, there was a “heart-stopping moment” when “another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway.” Venugopal says that the pilot’s prompt decision to pull up saved the day.
Air India quickly rejected the report, saying that Chennai Air Traffic Control (ATC) told the plane to go around because of bad weather and as a “precautionary” action, not because of another plane.
A source from the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gave a third account of what happened, saying that the airplane was actually diverted because the weather radar broke down. The go-around, on the other hand, was started because ATC told the pilots there was “debris on the runway.”
The different stories have caused a political fight, and BJP leader Amit Malviya says that Venugopal should be put on a “no-fly list” if his statements turn out to be incorrect. Malviya said that safety in flying is the most important thing and that social media posts from famous people should not be ignored.
The incident happened just a few months after the horrible disaster of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. It has made people talk more about air safety rules and who is responsible for them.