Phuket, Thailand: An Air India Express flight operating from Hyderabad to Phuket suffered damage to its nose landing gear after a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand on Wednesday, forcing airport authorities to temporarily suspend runway operations while emergency teams cleared the aircraft. The aircraft involved in the incident carried 133 passengers, all of whom were reported safe after the evacuation
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating flight IX938 from Hyderabad. According to officials, the aircraft experienced a nose-wheel issue during landing, leaving the plane immobilised on the runway and prompting the airport to halt flight movements as a safety precaution.
Flight-tracking data indicated that the aircraft departed Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at 6:42 a.m., slightly later than its scheduled departure of 6:20 a.m., and landed at Phuket at about 11:40 a.m. local time. Shortly after touchdown, the nose landing gear was found to be damaged following what authorities described as a suspected hard landing.
Officials from India’s aviation regulator said the aircraft “made a suspected hard landing with a bounce on runway 9,” which led to damage to the forward landing gear. In aviation terms, a hard landing occurs when an aircraft touches down with excessive vertical speed or force.
Photographs and videos from the airport showed the damaged nose-wheel section of the aircraft on the runway after landing. Emergency response teams and airport personnel rushed to secure the aircraft and assess the situation.
Passengers and crew on board the aircraft were safely evacuated and taken to the terminal building, with no injuries reported, according to airline and airport authorities.
The disabled aircraft remained on the runway for several hours while airport teams worked to tow it away and conduct safety inspections. The temporary runway closure caused disruptions to scheduled flight operations at Phuket, one of Thailand’s busiest international tourism gateways.
In a statement, Air India Express confirmed the incident, saying the Hyderabad–Phuket flight experienced an issue with the nose wheel after landing and that the crew followed all standard safety procedures.
“We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on March 11 experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols, and guests were safely deplaned,” the airline said.
Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the landing and the damage to the aircraft’s landing gear, in coordination with relevant aviation regulators.
