Bangkok (VNA) – An aircraft operated by Indian carrier Air India Express encountered an incident while landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand on March 11, forcing authorities to close the runway for about six hours and causing significant flight disruptions. All passengers and crew were reported safe.
The aircraft involved is a Boeing 737-800, registration number VT-BWQ, operating a flight from Hyderabad, India. The plane was scheduled to land at Phuket at 11:40 local time but touched down 16 minutes ahead of schedule. There were seven crew members, 131 passengers and two infants on board.
Preliminary findings indicated that the aircraft made a hard landing, resulting in damage to the landing gear and nose gear assembly. The incident caused the aircraft to veer off the runway and prevented it from being moved immediately, leading airport authorities to suspend runway operations.
Shortly after the incident, officials from the Thailand Tourist Assistance Centre (TAC) and the Tourist Police at Phuket airport arrived at the scene to conduct an initial investigation and ensure passenger safety. No injuries were reported.
The runway closure disrupted airport operations, forcing several flights to be diverted to nearby airports, including Krabi and Surat Thani, as well as Bangkok. The situation also caused congestion at the airport as authorities worked to manage flight schedules and restore normal services.
Local tourist police are continuing to coordinate with relevant agencies to support affected passengers and facilitate the handling of the incident./.
