Air India Express plane suffers nose-wheel damage at Phuket airport

An Air India Express aircraft operating its Hyderabad-Phuket flight suffered a nose-wheel issue at Phuket International Airport on March 11, prompting the suspension of runway operations and disrupting several incoming flights.

What happened on the runway

Flight IX 938 took off from Hyderabad at 6.42 am and landed at Phuket at approximately 11.24 am local time — ahead of its scheduled arrival of 11.40 am, according to a report on CNN-News18.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration VT-BWQ, reportedly suffered a detached wheel, believed to have been caused by a hard landing. Preliminary checks found the nose landing gear was damaged, preventing the aircraft from being moved off the runway immediately.

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There were seven crew members, 131 passengers, and two infants on board. All 133 passengers were disembarked safely and taken to the waiting area. No injuries were reported.

What Air India Express said

"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," the airline said in a statement.

Runway closed, flights disrupted

Phuket International Airport issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) from 12.08 pm to 6 pm, temporarily closing the runway. Flights scheduled to land were required to hold in nearby airspace, and some were diverted to alternate airports.

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Airport officials began inspecting the runway and coordinating with relevant agencies before resuming operations. The removal of the aircraft and safety checks were initially estimated to take around six hours.