Air India Express 737 MAX Nose Gear Collapses at Phuket Airport

PHUKET, Thailand — Air India Express Flight IX938 suffered a nose gear collapse following a hard landing at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday morning, halting operations at the popular tourist destination for nearly six hours.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft arrived from Hyderabad carrying 133 passengers and seven crew members. According to Air India Express, the crew followed all standard protocols during the incident, which occurred around 11:40 a.m. local time. Passengers were evacuated safely without using emergency slides, and no injuries were reported despite smoke generated by friction on the fuselage.

The single runway at Phuket International Airport remained closed from the incident until approximately 6 p.m. to allow for safety inspections and aircraft removal. More than 120 flights were diverted to alternate airports in Krabi and Langkawi during the closure. Maintenance records show both nose wheels had been replaced on March 8, prompting officials to investigate whether the hard landing alone caused the failure or if additional fatigue contributed. A full investigation is underway to determine the root cause.