5 MPs Write To LS Speaker On 'Breach Of Privilege' By Air India, Demand Probe By Civil Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal along with four MPs on Tuesday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, urging a probe into "safety lapses" on an Air India flight from Trivandrum to Delhi on August 10. A letter has also been written the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging a "Breach Of Privilege" by the airline.

In his letter, Venugopal along with Congress MPs, K Suresh, Adoor Prakash and Robert Bruce, and CPI-M's K Radhakrishnan, pointed out "a deeply concerning incident" that raises questions on passenger safety protocols, operational decision-making and the airline's approach to transparency".

Sharing the letter on his X handle, Venugopal wrote they have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding "this Breach Of Privilege on Air India" and to the Ministry of Civil Aviation demanding an immediate investigation into the incident.

Detailing the series of events, the MPs wrote that the flight departed an hour late and was marked by continuous turbulence, passengers asked to remain strapped in and denied dinner service despite the late hour. Mid-flight, the pilot announced that due to the aircraft's radar failure, it would be diverted to Chennai though Bengaluru and Coimbatore were closer, they said.

Before landing in Chennai, the aircraft circled for over an hour without any explanation and the pilot had suddenly aborted landing and executed a steep climb. The passengers were informed that another aircraft was on the runway and the plane landed safely on the second attempt. They were then moved to another to another aircraft and flown to Delhi past midnight.

Praising the "skill" and "quick judgement" of the pilot in averting a "potential disaster", the MPs raised serious concerns in the manner in which Air India handled the incident. "Instead of acknowledging the sequence of events and providing factual clarifications, the airline has issued public statements portraying our first-hand account as false and misleading," the letter read.

The MPs said the airline's denial, absence of transparent communication about the technical fault, the prolonged circling and aborted landing not only undermines public trust but "creates an impression that passenger safety concerns are being downplayed or concealed".

"We therefore urge the Ministry to order a comprehensive and time-bound investigation into the incident, covering both technical and procedural aspects, and to ensure that the findings are made public in full. We also request that clear accountability be fixed, operational protocols for emergency diversions and runway safety be strengthened and passengers be given truthful and timely communication in such situations," the letter read.

Amid concerns raised by MPs who were on board the flight, Air India on Monday had said the first landing was aborted due to presence of foreign debris on the runway while the DGCA said the diversion was due to suspected weather radar malfunction.

Also Read

AI Flight Diverted To Chennai On Weather Radar Issue: DGCA ; Airline Says Crew Followed Protocol