Phuket International Airport has temporarily shut down its runway following an emergency landing incident involving an Air India Express Flight from Hyderabad. The aircraft incurred significant damage to its nose and landing gear during the hard landing.
The closure of the runway is expected to last for an extended period as authorities assess the situation. A critical part of an aircraft’s landing gear, the nose wheel, was compromised in the incident.
The Boeing 737, like many other aircraft, is equipped with two nose wheels and two sets of main landing gear with two wheels each. Air India Express confirmed that all safety protocols were followed, and passengers were safely disembarked.
The exact count of passengers and crew members aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 at the time of the incident is currently unknown. Typically accommodating around 180 passengers, the narrow-body, twin-engine jet faced tire damage upon landing.
Witnesses captured images depicting the severe damage to the plane’s landing gear and the runway. Flight Radar reported that the runway closure was a result of the Air India Express flight’s hard landing, causing damage to the front landing gear.
Efforts are underway to clear the affected Boeing 737-8 from the runway, with Phuket Airport remaining non-operational until 1800hrs local time. Stay tuned to The Mirror’s live blog for updates on the developing situation at Phuket International Airport.