Stranded British F-35 Jet Finally Moved from Thiruvananthapuram Airport After 22 Days

After being grounded for 22 days, the British Royal Navy’s F-35B fighter jet was finally moved out of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Sunday, following the arrival of a specialized technical team. The aircraft, part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, had made an emergency landing on June 14 due to adverse weather conditions and low fuel while operating roughly 100 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.

On Sunday, a British Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft carrying a team of technical experts landed at Thiruvananthapuram to assess the situation. Following their evaluation, the jet was moved from its parked position at Bay 4 of the airport to a secure hangar. A video shared by ANI showed the jet being carefully towed to the hangar under tight security.

Initial efforts to repair the aircraft had been unsuccessful. A small team of Royal Navy technicians had earlier attempted to fix a hydraulic failure detected during pre-departure checks, but the complexity of the issue required more advanced intervention. The hydraulic failure was deemed critical, as it could compromise the aircraft’s ability to take off and land safely.

The Indian Air Force had facilitated the jet’s emergency landing and provided immediate logistical support, including refuelling. The aircraft remained under the watch of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during its extended stay. Though Air India had initially offered to house the jet in a hangar to protect it from Kerala’s monsoon rains, the offer was declined by British officials. However, they later reconsidered and agreed to move the aircraft indoors.

Interestingly, the F-35’s prolonged stay in India caught the public’s imagination and sparked a meme fest on social media. From mock Aadhaar cards and Bollywood-inspired jokes to dubbed dialogue clips, the jet became an unexpected internet celebrity. Kerala Tourism also chimed in with a humorous post, adding a light-hearted twist to the high-tech standoff.

With the arrival of the expert team and the jet’s relocation, efforts are now focused on resolving the technical issue so the fighter can rejoin its carrier group. The episode highlighted both the challenges of operating cutting-edge military hardware and the surprising ways such incidents capture public attention.

IT.