PHUKET, Thailand – An Air India Express aircraft was left stranded on the runway at Phuket International Airport after a hard landing damaged its nose landing gear, forcing authorities to temporarily close the runway until early evening.
Airport officials said the incident occurred at about 11:24 a.m. on March 11 and involved Flight AXB938 operating the route from Hyderabad, India, to Phuket. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 registered VT-BWQ, landed earlier than scheduled, ahead of its planned arrival time of 11:40 a.m.
According to the airport’s initial inspection, the aircraft experienced a hard landing, causing damage to the nose landing gear, which prevented it from immediately moving off the runway.
There were no injuries reported. The aircraft was carrying 7 crew members, 131 passengers, and 2 infants at the time of landing.
Airport authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) at 12:08 p.m., announcing a temporary runway closure from 12:08 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. while emergency teams and technical crews worked to manage the situation and remove the aircraft safely.
Officials stated that relevant agencies were deployed to control the area and follow strict airport safety procedures.
Passengers affected by the disruption were advised to contact their airlines directly to check updated flight schedules and travel arrangements before heading to the airport to avoid missing flights.
