A VietJet Aviation JSC flight made a troubled landing on Thursday evening after the wheels on its front landing gear had “problems”, with passengers reporting minor injuries, the carrier and Vietnam’s aviation authority said on Friday.
The VietJet domestic flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Buon Ma Thuot carrying 207 passengers had a “serious problem” during landing where its “two front wheels have got problems”, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said in a statement.
“The aircraft safely stopped on the runway at Buon Ma Thuot Airport,” CAAV said on its website.
Photos of the jet on the ground obtained by industry publication Flightglobal show emergency evacuation slides were deployed and the nose gear tires completely shorn off.
VietJet said all passengers were safe, with some slightly injured and immediately taken to hospital but since discharged. CAAV said six passengers were injured.
The plane was an Airbus A321 jet, delivered to VietJet two weeks ago on November 15.
An Airbus spokesman said the manufacturer was in contact with the airline and providing all necessary technical assistance.
“The carrier has been in close coordination with related authorities to assess the incident and promptly support all affected passengers,” VietJet said in a statement.
VietJet, one of the top airlines in fast-growing aviation market of Vietnam, plans to maintain an average fleet age of just three years to keep fuel and maintenance costs low and its planes fresh, its chief executive told Reuters last month.
Earlier this month, VietJet signed a $6.5 billion agreement on Friday to buy 50 Airbus A321neo jets, while it also signed deals with Boeing.
