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‘Felt like it skid on runway’: Cong MP's experience on Air India flight aborted before take-off in Kochi
Congress MP Hibi Eden posted a photo from inside the plane, saying the take-off was aborted midway and that “it just felt like the flight skid on the runway”.
Congress MP Hibi Eden, who was travelling on an Air India flight from Kochi to Delhi, recounted his experience after the take-off was aborted due to a technical problem. He said he felt “something unusual” and that “it just felt like the flight skid on the runway”.
The airline later confirmed on Sunday night that flight AI 504, scheduled to depart Cochin International Airport at 10:40 pm, encountered a technical issue during its take-off roll.
“Something unusual with this flight ✈️ AI 504, it just felt like the flight skid on the runway and hasn't taken off yet. Air India cancelled AI 504 and announced a new flight at 1 am which hasn't still started boarding, today is the third flight which has been AOG,” Eden posted on X.
He also shared a photograph on Facebook from inside the aircraft, noting that the take-off had been aborted midway.
“The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off run, following Standard Operating Procedures and brought the aircraft back to bay for maintenance checks,” an Air India spokesperson explained.
According to the airline, a replacement aircraft was being arranged to operate the flight, which would depart at a later time.
“All passengers have disembarked and our ground colleagues in Kochi are extending support to them. The inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this unforeseen situation is sincerely regretted. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew remain our top priority,” the airline added.
Congress MP KC Venugopal's 'near-miss runway tragedy' claim
Hibi Eden’s Air India flight experience comes just days after Congress MP KC Venugopal wrote to the Union Civil Aviation Minister, seeking a probe into alleged safety lapses on the Trivandrum-Delhi Air India flight of August 8, on which he and other MPs were passengers.
In his letter, shared by ANI, Venugopal reiterated his runway scare claim, stating that the pilot aborted landing at Chennai airport when the aircraft was “only 30-40 feet” above the ground.
Venugopal said the flight, AI 2455, encountered turbulence shortly after departing from Thiruvananthapuram. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft left at around 8 pm and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm on Sunday. Posting on X shortly after 12 am on Monday, the Congress MP said the flight, carrying several fellow MPs, came “frighteningly close to tragedy” and was saved by “skill and luck” following the captain’s “quick decision”.
Air India on August 11 rejected Venugopal’s claim that the Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi flight AI 2455 experienced a “heart-stopping” incident because another plane was on the same runway when it attempted to land at Chennai airport, where it had been diverted.
The airline clarified that during the first landing attempt, ATC instructed the pilots to perform a go-around after another aircraft departing the same runway reported suspected foreign object debris (FOD) on it.
Referring to the June 12 Air India crash, Venugopal described the incident as “deeply concerning,” adding that it “raises serious questions about passenger safety protocols, operational decision-making, and the airline's approach to transparency.”
