On March 11, all 140 passengers and crew members were safe after an Air India Express aircraft encountered an incident when landing at Phuket International Airport, causing damage to the aircraft and disrupting flight operations, according to airport officials.
Flight AXB938 from Hyderabad was scheduled to land at 11:40 am (local time) but landed earlier, at 11:24 am. The Boeing 737-300 was carrying 133 passengers (including 2 infants) and 7 crew members.
Preliminary investigation shows that the plane landed with unusual force, causing the wing cabin to be damaged. The incident prevented the plane from leaving the runway immediately, although no one was injured.
The airport then announced the closure of the runway from 12:08 pm to 6:00 pm, forcing many flights to divert to nearby airports such as Krabi, Surat Thani and Bangkok.
Airport officials said they have coordinated with many relevant agencies to handle the situation and implement safety measures in accordance with procedures.
The airport also warned affected passengers that flight congestion could cause delays to last until the evening of the same day, and asked passengers to contact the airline before arriving at the airport.
