Thiruvananthapuram – After nearly five weeks of turning heads and sparking memes, the British Royal Air Force’s F-35 fighter jet is finally preparing to take off from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on July 22, heading back to the UK.
The state-of-the-art stealth jet made an unexpected emergency landing on June 14, after adverse weather disrupted its training mission over the Arabian Sea. However, a subsequent technical fault grounded the aircraft, transforming the high-tech war machine into an unlikely tourist attraction.
A 24-member British technical team, including 14 engineers and 10 crew members, was flown in to carry out repairs, which are now complete. The aircraft is set to return via the West Asian corridor, according to sources.
While the fighter jet remained grounded, the airport racked up a parking bill of ₹26,261 per day, totaling approximately ₹8.06 lakh – a tidy sum for just sitting still.
The jet’s prolonged stay sparked massive public interest, becoming a fixture in social media memes and even featuring in promotional content by Kerala Tourism and Kudumbashree’s Haritha Karma Sena. At one point, it was humorously listed “for sale” on an online marketplace, drawing laughter across the internet.
With the aircraft finally ready for departure, Kerala bids farewell to what has been one of the most unusual and widely discussed aviation incidents in recent memory.
