Watch: Air India Express Flight Suffers Hard Landing In Phuket; pictures show nose-wheel damage
Watch: Air India Express Flight Suffers Hard Landing In Phuket; pictures show nose-wheel damage
Aircraft from Hyderabad experiences nose-wheel issue during landing; all passengers and crew reported safe.
An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad to Phuket experienced a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand, resulting in damage to the aircraft and the temporary closure of the airport’s runway. Fortunately, all passengers and crew members on board were reported safe.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the Boeing 737-MAX8 aircraft operating flight IX 938 landed at Phuket. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft departed Hyderabad at around 6:42 am, slightly later than its scheduled departure time of 6:20 am, and landed in Phuket at approximately 11:40 am local time.
Videos and photos circulating on social media showed the aircraft touching down and leaving behind a visible trail of dust on the runway, indicating a heavy landing. Images shared online also revealed damage to the aircraft’s landing gear area.
Air India Express confirmed that the aircraft experienced an issue with its nose wheel during landing. The nose wheel is an important component of an aircraft’s landing gear system and helps support the front section of the plane during take-off and landing.
Phuket International Airport has been closed.
— AviationCrazy (@aviation_on_x) March 11, 2026
An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad made a hard landing damaging the aircraft’s nose landing gear.
The airport is now closed to traffic.
“We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on 11 March experienced an issue with the… pic.twitter.com/GhoJ5zIWHJ
The airline stated that all safety procedures were followed immediately after the landing, and passengers were safely deplaned from the aircraft.
There were 131 passengers on board the flight, along with seven crew members and two infants. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported.
Phuket Airport runway closed after Air India Express #IX938 landing incident. Front gear damaged, runway closed until 11:00 UTC ✈️ pic.twitter.com/kJvaJPcnlV
— Capt_Ck (@Capt_Ck) March 11, 2026
Following the incident, authorities temporarily closed Phuket International Airport’s runway to allow inspection and removal of the damaged aircraft. Initial reports suggested the disruption could last several hours, forcing some incoming flights to circle in nearby airspace or divert to alternate airports.
Photos shared by local media also showed that one of the aircraft’s tyres had been severely damaged during the landing.
Airport authorities and airline officials are now examining the incident, while normal operations are expected to resume after the runway is cleared and safety checks are completed.
