In the tourist area of ​​Phuket in Thailand, a Boeing 767-306ER passenger plane of the Russian charter company Azur Air, which was making a flight to Moscow, caught fire during takeoff.

There were 309 passengers and 12 crew members in the plane.

According to the Daily Mail, Russian airlines are operating old planes without proper maintenance after tough Western sanctions over Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. 

A passenger plane's engine caught fire after the landing gear exploded.

The pilot had to abort the flight, the passengers and crew were urgently evacuated from the plane, and the explosion caused severe panic.

According to the publication, among the passengers on board were families of men who were hiding from Putin's decree on mobilization. 

"Technical specialists of the airline have already begun troubleshooting. Passengers of flight ZF-3604 will be provided with a hotel, hot meals and soft drinks while waiting for the flight to Moscow," the Russian airline said in a statement. 

The video of this incident was published on social networks.

#BREAKING #RUSSIA #THAILAND #PHUKET



THAILAND :#VIDEO ACCIDENT ON RUSSIAN AZUR AIR FLIGHT DURING TAKEOFF



Boeing 767-306's landing gear exploded while accelerating on the runway of Phuket Airport -flight to Moscow#BreakingNews #UltimaHora #Aviation #Accident #Accident # Aereo pic.twitter.com/jG3wy4K7gq

— loveworld (@LoveWorld_Peopl) February 4, 2023

#BREAKING #RUSSIA #THAILAND



THAILAND :#VIDEO AFTERMATH OF ACCIDENT ON RUSSIAN AZUR AIR FLIGHT, PASSENGERS LEAVING PHUKET AIRPORT TO STAY AT HOTELS



Boeing 767's landing gear exploded while accelerating on the runway of Airport#BreakingNews #Phuket #Russia #Accident #Accident pic .twitter.com/E9EVuFk5qo

— loveworld (@LoveWorld_Peopl) February 4, 2023

Earlier, the head of Rosavia, Oleksandr Neradko, said that Western-made airliners, which are currently not undergoing maintenance due to sanctions, can be used until 2030. 

"I am sure that it has not become more dangerous to fly - and this [lack of original spare parts] does not mean anything," he said. 

The official demanded to stop calling the fact that planes in Russia fly using spare parts from other planes as "cannibalization". 

"This is said by those who have never worked in civil aviation and do not know that the practice of replacing serviceable spare parts from aircraft to aircraft has always been widespread, even in Soviet times," he said.

It will be recalled that the Havas company, which provides ground services at Turkish airports, informed Russian and Belarusian airlines that it may stop servicing their American-made aircraft in accordance with sanctions against Moscow in connection with its invasion of Ukraine.  

Read also:

  • World news

  • Ukraine news

  • News of Ukraine: video