Video: Air India Express flight makes hard landing in Phuket
What's the story
An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad to Phuket, Thailand, made a hard landing at the Phuket International Airport on Wednesday. The incident resulted in damage to the aircraft's nose landing gear and also forced authorities to shut the runway for nearly six hours. Flight IX 938, which was delayed by 22 minutes from its scheduled departure time of 6:20am, landed at 11:40am local time.
Safety measures
Passengers safely evacuated: Airline
Emergency response teams and airport authorities were immediately deployed to the scene to ensure safety. All 133 passengers on board were safely evacuated and taken to a passenger waiting area. An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying, "We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on 11 March experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols, and guests were deplaned."
Twitter Post
Watch video here
Crash Landing -
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) March 11, 2026
Air India Express confirmed that its #Hyderabad–#Phuket flight on March 11 experienced a nose wheel issue during landing at #PhuketAirport, resulting in a hard landing.
The crew followed all safety protocols and all passengers were safely deplaned. No injuries… pic.twitter.com/3nIm9KoY3q
Airport closure
Airport issues NOTAM, runway closed
In the wake of the incident, Phuket International Airport issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) and closed the runway until 6:00pm local time. The closure was necessary to clear the aircraft from the runway and conduct safety inspections. Visuals from the scene showed smoke emanating from the nose wheel section of the aircraft. There were seven crew members, 131 passengers, and two infants onboard. No injuries were reported