Phuket airport closes runway until 6pm after hard-landing incident

*Phuket International Airport temporarily closed its runway after an aircraft made a hard landing, damaging its landing gear and disrupting arriving flights.*

Published: 2026-03-13 01:39 UTC Event date: 2026-03-12

### What happened

At around noon on Wednesday (March 11), an Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating on the Hyderabad–Phuket route suffered an incident on the runway at Phuket International Airport.

Airport officials, however, were able to bring the situation under control and began an inspection, while all 133 passengers were disembarked and taken to the passenger waiting area. It arrived at Phuket International Airport ahead of schedule, with a planned landing time of 11.40am and an actual landing time of 11.24am.

### Local context

At around noon on Wednesday (March 11), an Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating on the Hyderabad–Phuket route suffered an incident on the runway at Phuket International Airport. Airport officials, however, were able to bring the situation under control and began an inspection, while all 133 passengers were disembarked and taken to the passenger waiting area.

### Next developments

Phuket International Airport issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) from 12.08pm to 6pm to announce the temporary runway closure. From Choi Champion to Global Stage: How One Thai Graduate Is Rewriting the Rules of Cultural Identity Rescued Thai sailors reach Oman as search continues for 3 missing from PSL ship Tourism permanent secretary warns oil spike may hit Gen Z travel to Thailand Oil surges as Brent closes above $100 after Iran vows Hormuz will stay shut Gold slides as dollar strengthens and Iran war fans inflation fears

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40063619