RTN plane blunder shuts Phuket runway, delays 70 flights
Emergency crews raced to scene as stranded plane blocked runway
A military aircraft’s landing gear failure forced Phuket Airport to shut its runway, disrupting dozens of flights and prompting an emergency response.
Phuket International Airport was brought to a standstill yesterday, October 8, after a Royal Thai Navy (RTN) aircraft suffered a landing gear malfunction during touchdown, forcing a temporary closure of the runway and affecting 70 flights.
According to the Airports of Thailand Phuket branch (AoT Phuket), the incident occurred at around 11.18am when a twin-engine Cessna 337 military aircraft attempted to land. The aircraft’s landing gear failed to deploy properly, leaving it stranded on the runway. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene within minutes, and flight operations were immediately suspended for safety. AoT Phuket confirmed that the airport’s main runway was officially closed at 11.42am to allow for removal of the disabled aircraft.
In coordination with the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Naval Area Command, the pilots, ground-handling companies, and aircraft mechanics, airport teams moved swiftly to address the situation. Specialised lifting equipment and forklifts were brought in, while fuel was safely drained from the aircraft to reduce fire risk.
The aircraft was successfully removed from the runway at 1.49pm, after which a full Foreign Object Debris (FOD) inspection was carried out to ensure flight safety. A minor oil spill was also cleaned from the tarmac during the process.
AoT Phuket reported that the runway was declared safe and reopened for operations by 2.30pm — roughly 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
A total of 70 flights were affected during the closure, causing delays and temporary chaos for passengers both arriving and departing, according to The Phuket News.
“AoT Phuket coordinated closely with all relevant agencies and would like to thank everyone for their rapid response and cooperation in restoring airport operations.”
Despite the disruption, the incident was managed efficiently, and airport operations have since returned to normal. The cause of the malfunction will be investigated further by the RTN aviation officials.
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