Airline covers logo on plane after malfunction

Thai Airways resorted to an unusual crisis management strategy after one of their planes suffered a landing-gear mishap in which 14 passengers were injured.

Airline officials decided to cover one of their plane's logos with black paint after Flight TG679 veered off the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday because of a landing gear malfunction.

The flight originated in Guangzhou, China, with 288 passengers and 14 crew members.

After the incident, the airline deployed a crew to "de-identify" the Thai Airways logo on the fuselage. Reporters were told that was a "crisis communication rule" at the global Star Alliance, to protect the images of the airline and other alliance members.

As of Monday, 12 of the injured passengers had been released from the hospital, the airline announced in a tweet.