The Moscow-bound flight SU277 departed Phuket International Airport at 3.20pm and circled above the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand for five hours before seeking an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport, reports the Bangkok Post.
There were reports that after takeoff, the nose gear of the plane retracted but its cover failed to close. The pilots then circled the plane over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand to burn off fuel before landing the plane safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said the plane landed at 9:11pm and stopped at parking bay 115.
He quoted Aeroflot as reporting that 15 crew members and 331 passengers would stay at a hotel outside the airport pending a substitute flight.