- An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad had a hard landing at Phuket airport today
- The Boeing 737 MAX 8's nose gear broke, causing the plane to slide along the runway
- All 133 passengers were safely evacuated and moved to a waiting area after the incident
An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand today, resulting in significant damage to its nose gear. Following the incident, airport authorities issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) closing the runway until 6 pm local time. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft had 133 passengers on board. All passengers were safely evacuated from the plane and taken to a passenger waiting area.
Sources said the aircraft experienced a problem while landing, with the nose landing gear breaking and the plane sliding along the runway. Photographs from the scene show the broken nose wheel lying on the runway.
Emergency response teams and airport authorities rushed to the scene to secure the area and ensure the safety of those on board.
The runway was closed to clear the aircraft and conduct safety inspections, which may affect some flight operations.
The nose wheel is a critical component of an aircraft's landing gear, responsible for steering and supporting the forward section of the plane during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
"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 deplaned. We thank our guests, the Phuket airport authorities, and all stakeholders for their cooperation," said the spokesperson.
Flight IX 938 took off from Hyderabad at 6.42 am instead of its scheduled departure time of 6.20 am, and landed at Phuket International Airport 11.40 am local time, according to flight tracking website flightradar24.com.
At about 11:55, airport officials confirmed the aircraft had made a hard landing, resulting in damage to the front landing gear.
