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NEW DELHI – A British F-35B fighter jet that was stranded at an airport in southern India for more than a month over mechanical issues, becoming a local celebrity in the process, is finally making its way home.
British engineers had struggled for weeks to fix the aircraft, which was unable to return to an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea after a flight in mid-June because of bad weather.
It was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the state of Kerala for what proved a lengthy stay.
The British High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement that an engineering team deployed to fix the aircraft in early July had managed to repair it, “allowing the aircraft to resume active service”.
The advanced jet, worth more than US$100 million (S$128 million), was on its way to Darwin, Australia, according to an official at the Kerala airport, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the jet.
The official said a crew of 14 people worked to repair the jet’s hydraulic and auxiliary power systems. The crew was set to be picked up by a Royal Air Force aircraft on July 23 to return to Britain.
The jet was under heavy security during its time at the airport, which experts said was necessary to protect its highly sensitive technology. The state-of-the-art plane, made by Lockheed Martin in Texas, is also used by a number of Britain’s allies, including the United States.
Airport staff members were not allowed to be near the hangar where the jet was being repaired, the airport official said.
As the jet sat idle at the airport, it drew attention from amused locals, including the region’s tourism department. Indians poked fun at the plane with memes, including a fake travel review of Kerala from the jet and a spoof listing for the plane’s sale on a classified site.
As news spread of the plane’s impending departure, locals were quick to chime in again. On social media, users posted messages like “Bye, bro” and “Keep visiting”.
One smitten user even made an appeal for the plane to stay, writing: “Please don’t go. We loved you standing on the airport. Feelings had developed.” NYTIMES
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Jonathan Wolfe contributed reporting.
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