The Airbus A330, operating as flight SU637, departed at 9:53am local time ‒ about 30 minutes behind schedule ‒ but was seen circling for nearly an hour before landing back on the island, according to FlightRadar24. As of 7:20pm yesterday, the aircraft, registration RA-73782, remained parked at the airport.
No official announcements have been made on the Aeroflot website or social media channels regarding the incident, reports Novosti Phuketa, The Phuket News’ Russian-language sister outlet.
Citing Russian media outlet Novaya Sibir, the return to Phuket was reportedly due to a technical malfunction detected after takeoff. The publication stated that all passengers had been provided accommodation and would remain in Thailand until the rescheduled departure on Tuesday (July 30).
“According to official statements from the company, the plane from Phuket was unable to fly to Novosibirsk not because of problems after the hacking—a technical malfunction was detected on the aircraft,” Novaya Sibir reported.
The reference to “hacking” relates to a cyberattack on Aeroflot’s IT systems on Monday (July 28), which led to widespread flight cancellations on both domestic and international routes. The airline confirmed the incident through its official social media posts, stating that services were returning to normal by yesterday morning.
However, no specific mention has been made of flight SU637, suggesting that Novaya Sibir obtained its information through a direct inquiry to the airline.
Aeroflot has not issued any timeline for when the aircraft will be cleared for takeoff or whether a replacement aircraft will be deployed.