Air India Express plane suffers nose-wheel malfunction at Phuket, airport suspends ops as plane stuck on runway

An Air India Express flight faced a nose-wheel issue upon landing in Phuket, causing a suspension of airport operations as the plane was stuck on the runway.

Updated on: Mar 11, 2026, 14:06:35 IST

Written by Yamini C S

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An Air India Express aircraft operating a Hyderabad to Phuket flight developed a nose-wheel-related malfunction after landing at Phuket International Airport in Phuket, Thailand, the airline said on Wednesday.

An Air India Express aircraft faced a nose-wheel issue upon landing in Phuket, resulting in halted operations at the airport.

Flight operations at the airport were temporarily halted as the aircraft remained stranded on the runway following the incident. The exact number of passengers aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft was not immediately clear. However, no injuries have been reported.

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A spokesperson for Air India Express confirmed the incident and said the crew followed all prescribed safety procedures. They added that all the passengers were safely deplaned from the aircraft following the incident.

The airline also expressed gratitude to passengers, and thanked the authorities at Phuket International Airport, among other stakeholders for their cooperation while the situation was being handled.

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“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. We thank our guests, the Phuket airport authorities, and all stakeholders for their cooperation,” An Air India Express spokesperson said, regarding the matter.

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Flight IX 938 took off from Hyderabad at 6:42 am instead of its scheduled departure time of 6:20 am, and landed at Phuket International Airport 11:40 am local time, as per flight tracking website flightradar24.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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