British F-35B stuck in Thiruvananthapuram: Stranded UK fighter jet finally departs Kerala after month-long stay – watch | India News
NEW DELHI: The British F-35B Lightning fighter jet that made an emergency landing in Kerala over a month ago has finally taken off. The Royal Navy aircraft, part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales carrier fleet, had remained grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport since June 14 due to a hydraulic fault.The £85 million stealth jet was undergoing repairs by a UK technical team and had been moved to the Air India hangar during the monsoon-soaked downtime. With repairs now complete, the jet was rolled out of the hangar and flew back on Tuesday.The Indian Air Force assisted during the landing and refuelling. Meanwhile, the aircraft’s extended stay sparked a wave of memes on social media, with Kerala Tourism leading the trend by joking, “Kerala, the destination you’ll never want to leave.” The maintenance crew will return separately, news agency PTI reported.
