Thiruvananthapuram: A £100 million British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet that had been grounded at Thiruvananthapuram airport for over five weeks due to a hydraulic system fault is set to finally depart on Tuesday, July 22, airport officials confirmed, as per reports.
The advanced stealth aircraft had made an emergency landing on June 14 and remained stuck ever since, parked, first at Bay 4, and then inside Air India’s hangar.
Hydraulic Failure Fixed After Initial Glitch
The aircraft, which was on a routine flight from the UK Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, experienced a technical snag mid-air, preventing it from returning to the vessel. Given that Thiruvananthapuram was pre-designated for emergency diversions, the fighter jet requested and was granted landing permission. The Indian Air Force played a key role in facilitating the safe touchdown.
Initial repair attempts by the carrier’s technical team proved unsuccessful. It wasn’t until a joint UK-US team, including Royal Navy technicians and Lockheed Martin personnel, arrived that the snag was fully resolved. “The plane will be pulled out of the hangar by this evening and will leave tomorrow,” an airport official confirmed, as per a report by The Times of India.
The stealth jet, among the most advanced of its kind in the world, has occupied valuable airport space for weeks. Sources suggest the airport operator may charge a fee for the extended parking duration, although no official confirmation has been made.
