An Air India AI-2455 flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi turned into a night of anxiety for passengers on Wednesday. The flight was carrying Congress MP K.C. Venugopal along with several other MPs and over 100 passengers.

Shortly after take-off, the aircraft experienced severe turbulence. The captain then announced that due to a technical issue related to signal systems, the flight would be diverted to Chennai. After circling in the air for nearly two hours to obtain clearance, the first landing attempt had to be aborted. The aircraft eventually landed safely on its second attempt.

K.C. Venugopal later stated on social media that passengers’ lives should never be left to fate and called for an investigation into the matter.

Air India clarified that due to bad weather and technical issues, the diversion to Chennai was made as a precaution. The first landing was aborted on Air Traffic Control’s instructions. The airline maintained that passenger safety remains its top priority and that all procedures were followed as per regulations.

Flight tracking data shows the plane took off from Thiruvananthapuram at 8:17 PM, landed in Chennai at 10:35 PM, and departed again at 1:40 AM, finally reaching Delhi at 3:58 AM.

The incident comes amid a series of recent mechanical and service-related controversies involving Air India, raising concerns about the airline’s operational standards.