Phuket Airport closed: Airport in Thailand closes its only runway after Navy plane suffers landing gear malfunction - passengers warned of flight disruptions
Phuket Airport in Thailand closed its only runway due to the malfunction of a Navy aircraft.
Seventeen flights in and out of Phuket were disrupted on Wednesday afternoon (8 October) after the only runway at its international airport was closed. The closure was to facilitate the removal of a navy aircraft that had encountered a wheel failure while landing at about 11.15am local time, the airport said in a Facebook post.
The Navy observation plane made an emergency landing, blocking its runway. Both Phuket airport and the Royal Thai Navy confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, which involved a Cessna O-2 (T-337) observation plane that landed at 11:20am due to a landing gear malfunction.
The airport said it provided urgent assistance and closed the runway for three hours to allow for the movement of aircraft and inspection of the runway surface for safety. As a result, seven flights were unable to land at Phuket International Airport, while 10 flights were unable to depart, the airport added.
Flights scheduled to land at Phuket International Airport during the disruption were redirected to the airport in Krabi, in southern Thailand, The Khaosod said.
Phuket Airport apologised for any inconvenience caused. It added that to avoid missing their flights, passengers are advised to check flight status directly with their airlines.
The airport is now open - but there are significant disruptions.