An F-35B combat jet of the Royal Navy, stranded at Thiruvananthapuram airport since June 14 after experiencing a technical problem, finally flew out at 10:50 am on Tuesday, a British high commission spokesperson said.
The British high commission spokesperson said the aircraft departed from Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Tuesday after the engineering team completed “repairs and safety checks, allowing the aircraft to resume active service”.
The spokesperson added, “The UK remains very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout the repair and recovery process. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our defence partnership with India.”
People familiar with the matter said the aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales on June 14 because of adverse weather conditions. Prioritising safety, the aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram, but it subsequently developed an engineering issue while on the ground, which precluded its return to the carrier strike group.
Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales assessed the aircraft and decided that the support of a UK-based engineering team was needed, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales assessed the aircraft and decided that the support of a UK-based engineering team was needed, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}The UK also accepted India’s offer to move the aircraft to the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Thiruvananthapuram.
“After successful repairs, the British F-35B jet flew out of Thiruvananthapuram airport today. The expert crew, who had landed from UK to repair the jet, will leave on Wednesday,” an airport official confirmed.
The official added that the airport, operated by the Adani Group, has charged a fee towards the parking of the British jet in its premises. “The fee is in the range of ₹5-6 lakh,” he said.
The official said Air India will levy separate fees for the use of its hangar and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport by the UK authorities for the repair of the jet.
The UK complied with all standard requirements for commercial airports, the people said. The aircraft’s prolonged presence on the tarmac at Thiruvananthapuram airport had triggered considerable speculation and led to a spate of jokes and memes online.