The aircraft’s nose wheel broke off during landing, leaving the jet stranded on the runway and disrupting air traffic at Phuket’s main aviation gateway.
All 140 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737-800 were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Speaking at a 7pm press conference alongside Phuket Airport Director Monchai Tanode and other officials, Governor Nirat said all relevant agencies responded quickly and in accordance with aviation safety standards.
Authorities coordinated closely with the airline and airport operators to ensure passenger safety and restore operations as quickly as possible, he said.
“All agencies worked together to minimise the impact on passengers and the tourism sector of Phuket Province,” the governor said, while apologising to travellers affected by the disruption.
However, the governor made no mention of any investigation into the cause of the incident.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has also yet to publicly confirm whether it has launched a formal investigation.
According to airport officials, the incident occurred at about 11:24am when flight AXB938 from Hyderabad landed earlier than its scheduled arrival time of 11:40am.
During landing, the aircraft performed what officials described as a “hard landing”, causing damage to the nose gear, which saw the nose wheels ripped off from its assembly. The damage saw the aircraft grind to a halt on the runway.
The flight was carrying seven crew members, 131 passengers and two infants, totalling 140 people. All passengers were able to disembark safely and enter the terminal.
Following the incident, airport authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) closing the runway from 12:08pm until 6pm to allow emergency crews to remove the aircraft and conduct safety inspections.
Because Phuket International Airport has only one runway, the closure immediately affected air traffic. Several flights were forced to circle while awaiting clearance or divert to nearby airports, including Krabi International Airport and Surat Thani International Airport.
Phuket Airport General Manager Monchai said that after the aircraft was removed, officials carried out a comprehensive inspection of the runway surface, lighting systems, navigation aids and other airport safety systems.
The inspections confirmed that all systems remained fully operational and met aviation safety standards, he said.
Authorities also reviewed landing data and CCTV footage before confirming the runway was safe to reopen.
Governor Nirat confirmed that airport operations resumed normally from 7pm.
The airline also provided assistance to passengers in accordance with regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, including refreshments and regular updates on the situation.
Despite the assurances from local authorities, no explanation has yet been provided for why the aircraft landed heavily or why the nose wheel failed during landing.
According to a Reuters report, a spokesperson for Air India Express said the incident is under investigation. However, neither the airline nor its parent company, Air India, has so far issued detailed public statements explaining the cause of the safety incident.
The response by officials last night marked the disruption to Phuket’s key tourism portal. In 2025, Phuket International Airport handled more than 17.4 million passengers and 106,581 flights, reaching 96.44% of passenger traffic recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.