Airport staff are battling to remove a crashed plane which skidded off the runway in Thailand.

The Boeing 737 operated by low-cost carrier Nok Air veered into the grass while landing in heavy rain at the Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport in northern Thailand on Sunday evening July 30.

Passengers were evacuated more than an hour after the incident but the airport will remain closed until September while staff try to remove the plane. There are also safety fears about the runway at the remote airport.

Officials towed the aircraft off the grass but the landing gear gave way and it dropped onto the tarmac. Footage from August 5 shows how the plane remains stuck.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the country's aviation authority has launched an investigation as well as low-cost carrier Nok Air, a publicly traded company known for its bright liveries with the face of birds on the noses of its jets.

Nok Air said that passengers onboard flight DD108 were taken safely to the airport terminal but there were significant delays removing baggage from the hold.

Airport boss Somchanok Tiemtiebrat added: 'The aircraft HS-DBR skidded off the runway while the pilot landed at Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport.

'The weather at the time of the incident was unfavourable as there was a thunderstorm, however, the pilot was able to land the aircraft safely without any injuries. Airport staff, the airline took care of the facility and provided accommodation for passengers.'

The Boeing 737-800 is an earlier model to the notorious 737 Max which has twice crashed, killing 346 people as well as suffering at least six mid-air emergencies.

The Boeing 737-Max, an upgrade to the Boeing 737-800, was the subject of the damning Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing' released earlier this year.