Air India Express Flight IX938 Makes Hard Landing at Phuket — Nose Gear Collapses, 133 Passengers Safe, Runway Shut 6 Hours

Air India Express Phuket Incident: What Happened, Why It Matters & What Travellers Must Know

What Happened

Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8, registration VT-BWQ, operating flight IX938 from Hyderabad, encountered a significant nose landing gear failure upon touchdown at Phuket International Airport at approximately 11:40 AM local time on March 11, 2026. NYSE

The nose landing gear broke during landing, causing the plane to skid on the runway. All 133 passengers were on board at the time of the incident. Yahoo Finance According to Deccan Herald, both nose wheels detached from the aircraft — a rare and serious landing gear failure. CNN

The Evacuation

Emergency response teams and airport authorities rushed to the scene. By 11:55 AM, airport officials confirmed the hard landing and began evacuating passengers. All were taken safely to the passenger waiting area. FRED No injuries were reported — a remarkable outcome given the severity of the gear collapse.

Airport Chaos: 120+ Flights Disrupted

Since Phuket has only one runway, the airport was completely shut after the aircraft became stranded. The runway closure lasted from 12:08 PM to 6:00 PM — nearly six hours. Over 120 flights were affected, with several diverted to Krabi (KBV) and Surat Thani (URT), and departures delayed by 6–9 hours. Yahoo Finance

Phuket is a major tourist hub, and March is peak travel season — the disruption affected thousands of passengers including many Indians travelling for holidays.

Air India Express Response

Air India Express released an official statement confirming the nose wheel issue, saying the crew followed all standard protocols and all passengers were safely deplaned. The airline said it was extending full cooperation to aviation authorities. CNN

Boeing 737 MAX — The Safety Question

This incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 will raise fresh questions. The MAX series has been under intense scrutiny since two fatal crashes in 2018–19. While this incident involved a landing gear failure — not related to the MCAS software — any MAX incident draws global aviation attention. Thailand's aviation authorities have launched a detailed inquiry to determine the exact cause of the nose gear collapse. NYSE

What Travellers Should Do

If you're flying Air India Express or through Phuket in the coming days, check your flight status on the airline's app before heading to the airport. Operations have resumed but backlog delays may persist through March 12.