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Air India Express Plane Incident Shuts Phuket Runway

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A landing gear incident, involving an Air India Express aircraft left Phuket International Airport’s runway temporarily closed on 11 March, disrupting flights and forcing others to initially circle and then divert. The aircraft, carrying 140 people, became stranded on the runway after suffering damage during landing.

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The incident involved Air India Express flight AXB938 operating from Hyderabad (HYD) to Phuket (HKT). The aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 8, registration VT-BWQ, scheduled to land at 11.40am but touched down earlier at 11.24am.

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According to initial reports, the aircraft experienced a hard landing which burst a tyre and damaged the nose landing gear. The damage prevented the aircraft from moving away from the runway immediately after landing.

On board were seven crew members, 131 adult passengers and two infants. Authorities confirmed there were no reports of injuries among passengers or crew.

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Following the incident, Phuket International Airport issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing the temporary closure of the runway. The closure was in effect from 12.08pm until 6pm on 11 March, effecting 120 flights.

The closure disrupted airport operations and forced several incoming flights to circle while awaiting updates. Some flights were also diverted to alternative airports as airport officials worked to clear the disabled aircraft and restore normal operations.

Airport authorities coordinated with relevant agencies to manage the situation and implement safety procedures. Emergency response teams were deployed to the runway while technical teams assessed the aircraft and prepared for its removal.

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Officials emphasised that the airport was following strict aviation safety protocols throughout the response. The priority was to ensure the safety of passengers, crew and aircraft operating in and out of Phuket.

Hard landings occur when an aircraft touches down with greater force than normal, potentially causing stress or damage to landing gear components. Such incidents can result in aircraft being unable to taxi from the runway, leading to temporary airport closures while recovery operations take place.

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Khaosod reported that airport officials are working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway once safety checks are completed. Normal flight operations are expected to resume after the runway is cleared and aviation authorities confirm it is safe for use.

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Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

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image.png Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 11 Mar 2026


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  • Popular Post

That must have been a heck of a hit on the nose wheel for the leg to break off like that, I always thought the nose wheel is supposed to touch the runway after the main wheels or at the same time, but not before them....

Great pictures as well

Arnold Judas Rimmer of Jupiter Mining Corporation Ship Red Dwarf

Quax the crash pilot paralyzed an already overcrowded airport.

Would love to see pictures of the chaos at the airport.

It's a relief to know that the pilots successfully kept the engines running this time, avoiding any accidental shutdowns.

Could it have been all the passengers standing to grab their cabin luggage from the overhead lockers before anybody else that caused a shift of weight which in turn caused the hard landing?

  • Author

UPDATE

Phuket Airport Works to Remove Disabled Air India Express Jet

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Pictures courtesy of Phuket International Airport

Phuket International Airport has issued an update after an Air India Express aircraft became disabled on the runway following a hard landing incident on 11 March, disrupting airport operations.

The incident involved Air India Express flight AXB938 operating from Hyderabad (HYD) to Phuket (HKT). The aircraft encountered a malfunction on the runway after landing at Phuket International Airport earlier in the day.

Authorities previously reported that the aircraft experienced a hard landing which damaged the nose landing gear, preventing it from moving away from the runway immediately. The plane was carrying seven crew members, 131 passengers and two infants, and no injuries were reported.

Airport officials confirmed that teams are working to repair the damaged landing gear and remove the aircraft from the runway. The removal of a disabled aircraft, is necessary before normal runway operations can fully resume. The aircraft remains on the runway while engineers and technical teams carry out the repair and recovery process.

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Phuket International Airport said the removal operation is expected to be completed at approximately 9pm on 11 March. Once the aircraft is cleared and safety inspections are completed, the runway is expected to reopen for normal flight operations.

Phuket International Airport also issued an apology to passengers and airlines for the inconvenience caused by the incident. Officials said further updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.

Investigations into the landing incident are expected to continue once the aircraft is removed and technical assessments are completed.

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image.png Adapted by ASEAN Now Phuket International Airport 11 Mar 2026

4 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Quax the crash pilot paralyzed an already overcrowded airport.

Would love to see pictures of the chaos at the airport.

Alerts were sent to Phuket residents.

25 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Alerts were sent to Phuket residents.

Just received a message from authorities, saying runway is open again and flights have resumed at 19.00 hours.

  • Popular Post

The video shows that the plane first hit runway with the main gear extremely hard and then did a jump and ditched with the front gear. From the passenger video you can hear and see two hard hits.

Does not look like any difficult winds?

If there is no exceptional technical problem it's simply an unfit pilot.

Forgot / too late flare. Sinking much too fast.

Post breaking forum rules removed.

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  • Author

UPDATE

Phuket Airport Reopens After Air India Express Runway Incident

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Pictures courtesy of Phuket Airport

Phuket International Airport has resumed normal operations after an Air India Express aircraft became disabled on the runway following landing, causing temporary disruption earlier on 11 March 2026.

Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn confirmed that the airport reopened for normal services from 19:00 after authorities successfully cleared the runway. The disruption occurred when Air India Express flight AXB938, travelling from Hyderabad (HYD) to Phuket (HKT), became stranded on the runway, following a hard landing.

Officials said the aircraft was removed after relevant agencies worked together under aviation safety procedures to resolve the situation. The operation involved coordination between airport authorities, aviation officials and the airline to manage the aircraft and assist affected passengers.

Speaking at a press briefing, Governor Nirat said all agencies involved acted quickly to manage the situation and minimise disruption. Authorities also used multiple communication channels, including local and national media, to keep passengers and the public informed about the incident.

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The governor added that affected passengers should contact their airlines to complete any necessary arrangements following the disruption. He also apologised to passengers who experienced inconvenience during the incident.

Phuket authorities implemented additional measures to reduce confusion among travellers and residents. Following the incident, officials activated the Cell Broadcast Service system to send alerts in both Thai and English to people in the surrounding area, ensuring accurate and timely information reached both residents and tourists.

Phuket International Airport Director Montchai Tanod said that once the aircraft was removed from the runway, teams carried out detailed inspections across the runway and airport. These checks included the runway surface, lighting systems, navigation equipment and other safety infrastructure.

The inspection confirmed that all systems were fully operational and met aviation safety standards, allowing the airport to safely resume services. Officials also reviewed landing data and CCTV footage as part of the verification process.

One of the first flights to use the runway after reopening was an arrival from Sydney at 19:30. Airport officials said this marked the return of normal flight operations following the earlier disruption.

Montchai added that airlines had provided assistance to passengers in line with regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. Support included providing snacks, drinks and regular updates to travellers during the disruption.

Warunee Saiboonchan, Chairperson of the Phuket Airport Aviation Business Group, said the incident affected both inbound and outbound flights for a period of time. However, airlines coordinated closely with the airport to manage schedules and assist affected passengers.

Phuket authorities reaffirmed that the airport continues to follow international aviation safety standards and thanked all agencies involved for helping resolve the situation quickly.

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image.png Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 12 Mar 2026

Maybe the plane was overloaded with passages carrying too many gold chains around their neck creating uneven weight distribution

17 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Quax the crash pilot paralyzed an already overcrowded airport.

Would love to see pictures of the chaos at the airport.

Sorry, Quax was German, not Indian. That wouldn't have happened to him. He was more into crash landings in the water.

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12 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

The video shows that the plane first hit runway with the main gear extremely hard and then did a jump and ditched with the front gear. From the passenger video you can hear and see two hard hits.

Does not look like any difficult winds?

If there is no exceptional technical problem it's simply an unfit pilot.

Forgot / too late flare. Sinking much too fast.

FYI, I think you mean "pitched" onto the front landing gear .

Called a porpoising oscillation.

Aircraft " ditch" into the sea/water.

And I'm sure the pilot (s) were perfectly "fit" at the time, but usually "pilot error " is the cause, assuming no adverse or unexpected wind shear at the point of flare, and that the landing configuration was correct.

After removing the Aircraft I assume they inspected the runway for debris and surface repair after the gouging by the broken gear!

16 minutes ago, Priorexpat said:

I was wheels off the ground 8:00AM for BKK 👍

?

You want to stay that this plane has departed today to Bangkok.

Empty? For repair?

It's not shown as a regular flight.

Saw that online. Man it hit hard.

31 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

?

You want to stay that this plane has departed today to Bangkok.

Empty? For repair?

It's not shown as a regular flight.

My Bangkok Airways flight left prior to the accident/runway closure is all I was saying.

21 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Quax the crash pilot paralyzed an already overcrowded airport.

Would love to see pictures of the chaos at the airport.

I was lucky. Got out on Ettihad at 8:30. Straight into Abu Dhabi where an air raid warning caused a two hour delay to my next flight.😒

Still, arrived safely in Europe, albeit delayed.

3 hours ago, orchidfan said:

FYI, I think you mean "pitched" onto the front landing gear .

Called a porpoising oscillation.

Aircraft " ditch" into the sea/water.

And I'm sure the pilot (s) were perfectly "fit" at the time, but usually "pilot error " is the cause, assuming no adverse or unexpected wind shear at the point of flare, and that the landing configuration was correct.

After removing the Aircraft I assume they inspected the runway for debris and surface repair after the gouging by the broken gear!

“teams carried out detailed inspections across the runway and airport. These checks included the runway surface, lighting systems, navigation equipment and other safety infrastructure.”

Says they did check the runway. So I guess that angle is covered

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