Due to a reported landing gear issue, an Aeroflot plane, which left Phuket for Moscow late yesterday afternoon, had to circle above the Andaman Sea for several hours, to burn off fuel, before making an emergency landing at the Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok last night.
According to Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of the airport, Flight SU 277, with 331 passengers and 15 crew on board, landed safely at 9.40pm. The passengers were bused to hotels for the night and all luggage was unloaded before the plane was towed to the maintenance centre for inspection.
Kittipong said that there was no need for the airport to declare an emergency, because the pilot had reported that he could land the aircraft safely, but the airport’s emergency services were put on full alert. This is standard procedure.
Informed aviation sources say that the pilot had been in constant contact with the control tower while it was circling over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The pilot reported that he would prefer Suvarnabhumi airport, so the passengers could catch alternative flights to Moscow and he assured that he would land the plane safely.
