Air India Express Hyderabad–Phuket flight suffers nose-wheel damage after hard landing, Phuket airport runway shut

Air India Express flight from Hyderabad to Phuket sustains nose-wheel damage after hard landing, causing temporary runway closure.

An Air India Express flight operating from Hyderabad to Phuket suffered damage to its nose wheel after making a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand on Wednesday March 11, 2026).

According to data from flight tracking platform FlightRadar24, Air India Express flight IX 938, operated using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, departed from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at 6.42 a.m. and landed in Phuket at 11.24 a.m.

“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 safely deplaned,” said an Air India spokesperson.

The only runway at Phuket Airport is closed after a landing incident involving Air India Express flight #IX938 (Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration VT-BWQ)The aircraft landed at 04:24 UTC and pictures in social media show the aircraft on the runway with it's front landing gear… https://t.co/yWcFeNHx7zpic.twitter.com/qoMBrulnmV

A video of the incident circulating on social media appears to show the aircraft touching down the runway, with smoke and dust rising from the front landing gear area as the aircraft rolls forward. The nose section of the aircraft appears to dip toward the runway during the landing roll, indicating possible damage to the nose wheel assembly.

Following the incident, operations at the Phuket International Airport were temporarily disrupted. FlightRadar24 reported that the airport’s only runway was closed after the landing incident. According to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), the runway is expected to remain closed until 11.00 UTC as authorities carry out necessary inspections and clearance operations.