British jet stranded after technical issues finally leaves Indian airport
The aircraft had hydraulic issues and problems with its auxiliary power unit that have been fixed, said the Thiruvananthapuram official, who was not authorised to speak with the media and requested anonymity.
The aircraft will fly to a British aircraft carrier in Darwin, Australia, the official said.
The British High Commission and UK's Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The jet was on a regular sortie in the Arabian Sea in June when it ran into bad weather and could not return to the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales.
The aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and landed safely June 14.
The stranded military aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, triggered AI-generated memes in India.
A Kerala tourism department social media post showed the plane on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees with a fictitious five-star review: 'Kerala is such an amazing place, I don't want to leave. Definitely recommend.'
The top official at the tourism department, K Biju, said the post was in 'good humour'.
'It was our way to appreciate and thank the Brits who are the biggest inbound visitors to Kerala for tourism,' Mr Biju said.
Another cartoon posted on X showed the plane enjoying snacks with a group of locals against a scenic background.
There was speculation in India that the aircraft could be partially dismantled and transported in a cargo plane if repairs were unsuccessful. The UK Ministry of Defence dismissed the speculation in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Sark to issue first postage stamps in history
Sark is to issue its first postage stamps, marking a historic is the first island to issue British stamps for more than 40 years, after Alderney launched its own stamps in milestone sees the release of two Sark stamp issues, under the postal administration of Guernsey, on 27 August and 3 first issue, subject to Royal Approval, will mark the island's wartime history with stamps highlighting key moments from the Nazi German Occupation during World War Two, and the 80th anniversary of the island's liberation, held on 10 May 2025. The second set will feature Sark's wildflowers, with the stamps showcasing several Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post, said: "We are incredibly proud to support Sark in issuing its first stamps, which is a historic moment for the island."The commemorative stamps reflect the character and resilience of Sark's community and we are honoured to mark this important time in its history."
Scottish Sun
20 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Major update in Brazil plane crash as ‘pilot reported malfunction' the day before tragedy, ex-employee reveals a year on
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR update has been revealed in last year's Brazil plane crash, with the pilot said to have reported a malfunction a day before the tragedy. It comes almost a year of the aircraft spiralled down to the ground and exploded in a huge fireball - tragically killing all 62 people on board. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 The plane was seen in a 'death spiral' as it plummeted towards the ground - killing all 62 on board Credit: GLOBO NEWS/UNPIXS 8 Wreckage from a plane that crashed by a home in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, last August Credit: AP A former employee said they witnessed the final maintenance of the ATR 72-500 before it took off for Cascavel on August 9, 2024. He told g1 the pilot who operated the plane the night prior to the crash reported to the maintenance team that he had experienced problems with the aircraft's de-icing system. The failure was allegedly omitted from the technical logbook and ignored by management - when it reportedly should have prevented the plane from taking off. The ex-employee said how staff were pressured by company management to avoid aircraft downtime for maintenance, adding that there was also little time to assess the condition of aircraft. He told g1: "The leader himself asked: 'Well, if he didn't report it in the log, there's no problem with the aircraft.' "That was the company's legacy: if the captain reports it, there's maintenance action; if he doesn't report it, they won't waste time with anything he says." The Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center suggested in the preliminary report that the plane's blackbox captured a conversation between the pilots in which they mentioned a failure in the de-icing system. De-icing systems are crucial in aviation as ice can negatively affect aerodynamic performance - potentially increasing the aircraft's weight and impairing its speed and lift. The former employee believes that had this problem been reported to the logbook, the tragic crash would have been avoided. The Voepass Airlines plane was previously labelled an "old wreck" and was only in service for weeks before the deadly plunge. Horrified Brits watch as TUI plane tyre EXPLODES during take-off in Corfu Passengers and their families complained about the aircraft just 24 hours before it spiralled down to the ground and exploded in a huge fireball last week. The plane smashed into a residential area of the city of Vinhedo, with neighbours filming it dropping and crashing. The Voepass flight had left Cascavel, in the Parana state, and was bound for Guarulhos, in Sao Paulo. Valinhos City Hall later confirmed all on board were dead and that no residents on the ground were injured or killed. One grieving mother said that Friday's crash "wasn't a fatality, it was a crime" after the plane horrifically dropped out of the sky in a death spiral. Maria de Fátima Albuquerque lost her daughter Arianne Albuquerque Risso in the crash, who was a resident doctor in oncology at the Cascavel Cancer Hospital. An emotional Mrs Albuquerque told Globo G1 at the time: 'It wasn't a fatality, anyone who was on that plane would have died, because it was an old wreck. "It wasn't a fatality, it was a crime. Who can ease my pain? You'll see me fighting every day." 8 The debris at the site where an air plane crashed with 62 people on board Credit: AP 8 Authorities are now investigating the cause of the crash Credit: Claudia Vitorino 8 The aircraft was labelled 'an old wreck' by passengers and their families Credit: Reproduction/TV Globo A tragic passenger on the fatal flight had also sent messages to her family saying she was 'scared' of the 'old' plane. Rosana Santos Xavier, 23, had expressed her concern about the ATR 72-500 aircraft in the family chat group shortly after boarding. She wrote: 'I'm so scared of this flight, I swear, it's an old plane. 'There's a broken seat, it's chaos.' The 23-year-old's mum, Rosemeire dos Santos Xavier, told her to read a Psalm to calm her nerves. But she says deep down, she had a bad feeling. A short while later, Rosemeire saw on the news that a plane had crashed. Rosemeire told local media: 'I panicked. I started running around the house screaming.' Rosana was heading back to her home in Franco da Rocha near São Paulo, Brazil, after a work trip. All flights grounded at multiple major UK airports over 'radar failure' as holidaymakers are left 'stranded' The plane had also been undergoing a series of maintenance shutdowns, Brazilian news programme Fantastico has found. In March, the Voepass aircraft experienced a hydraulic problem and abnormal contact with the runway that caused "structural damage", leaving the aircraft out of operation for four months. And just a day before Friday's horror crash, passengers on board the same plane reported suffering from the sweltering heat due to faulty air conditioning. During the flight, passengers reported that they faced extreme heat due to the malfunctioning air conditioning, with one of them saying the temperature was "unbearable". People were trying to cool down as best they could, with one man even taking off his shirt because of the sweltering heat. Voepass said in a statement that the safety has always been the company's priority, adding it "has always acted in compliance with the strict requirements that guarantee the safety of its air operations". 8 Arianne Albuquerque Risso, who died after a plane crash in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo 8 Lawyer Laiana Vasatta, pictured with her husband Fábio Bigolin, was another victim of the horror crash Credit: Jam Press
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Family says Brit kids who drowned on ‘dream' Spain holiday went swimming every day
'Deeply loved' siblings Ameiya, 13, and Ricardo Junior Parris, 11, died on a 'dream' holiday in Spain after being caught in strong currents while swimming on the beach Two siblings who tragically drowned on a 'dream' holiday were 'water babies' who went swimming every day, a close relative has said. Ameiya, 13, and Ricardo Junior Parris, 11, were pulled from the water at Llarga Beach in Salou, Spain on Tuesday evening after getting into difficulty in strong currents. The brother and sister were pronounced dead a short time later. Their father, 31-year-old Ricardo Parris, 31, was also rushed to hospital after swimming out to try and save his children. He was rescued from the water unconscious, and has since been discharged from hospital after suffering a concussion. The two children from Birmingham - known to family and friends as 'Maya' and 'Jubs' - had been on holiday with their parents and four other siblings. Now, their auntie Kayla Delbrocco has told of how the kids had spent "every day" of the holiday in the sea, and had always been good at swimming. She said to The Sun: "It was supposed to be a special day - the kids love the beach, they go every day. "They've always been water babies - they'd been in every day. We had gone on holiday together there six years ago, so they were excited to go back and knew what to expect." Dad Ricardo had taken the siblings for one final swim while Shanice, a full-time mother and former teaching assistant, took the rest of the children back to Hotel Best Negresco, where they were staying. A hotel worker spotted the children struggling in the water from reception and had called for help. When Shanice returned to the beach, the ambulances and police cars were already there, and Junior was taken away in a helicopter. Family members flew out on Wednesday to comfort Ricardo and Shanice. The younger siblings - Cassius, six, Cleopatra, five, Asher, three, and Exodus, almost one - have been told. A GoFundMe page set up to support the family and help repatriate Ameiya and Ricardo's bodies has now raised over £43,000. In a tribute to the "beautiful, bright, and deeply loved" children, cousin Holly Marquis-Johnson wrote: "Maya was intelligent, thoughtful, and growing into a strong young woman. Ricardo Junior was playful, kind, and always smiling. "They brought so much love, laughter, and energy into the lives of everyone around them. Their absence has left an unbearable silence not just for their parents, but for their whole family, who were incredibly close and shared an unbreakable bond." A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of two British children who have died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."
