Stranded British F-35B fighter jet finally departs Kerala after five weeks

After a five-week-long stay in Kerala following an emergency landing, a British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet finally took off from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 10:50am on Tuesday, en route to its original destination in Australia.

The state-of-the-art stealth aircraft, known for its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, had been participating in joint Indo-Pacific maritime exercises with the Indian Navy as part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group. It was forced to land on June 14 due to a fault in its hydraulic systems.

Initial repair efforts by on-ground engineers were unsuccessful, prompting British authorities to dispatch a specialist team of aviation engineers from the UK and the United States, including experts from the British Royal Navy and aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The jet was first kept in the open before being moved to a hangar, where the engineering team cordoned off the area and began intensive work. Within a week, they managed to restore the engine, and the aircraft was cleared for flight by the end of last week.

On Monday, it was brought to the tarmac in preparation for its departure, which took place Tuesday morning without incident. The engineering team is expected to depart later in the day on the same special flight that brought them to India earlier this month.

The jet’s unexpected stay sparked wide attention on social media, turning the high-tech fighter into an unlikely tourist attraction. Kerala Tourism joined in the humour, posting on X: “Kerala, the destination you will never want to leave. Thank you, The Fauxy,” with a spoof review from the aircraft itself saying, “Kerala is such an amazing place, I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend.”

With the aircraft finally airborne, the incident has once again become a trending topic online — this time for its dramatic exit.