British F-35B jet makes emergency landing in Kerala
A British F-35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala on Saturday after reportedly running low on fuel, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.
According to an official at the airport, the F-35B sought permission from the airport authorities and landed safely around 9.30pm. 'The jet is currently at the airport and refuelling has been completed. It will be allowed to depart after requisite permission is received from the relevant authorities,' the official said on condition of anonymity.
On Sunday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) issued a statement, stating that it is 'fully aware' of the development and that it facilitated the aircraft for 'safety reasons'. 'Normal occurrence of diversion by F-35. IAF fully aware and facilitated the aircraft for flight safety reasons. All assistance being given, and IAF is in coordination with all agencies,' the statement said.
The jet reportedly took off from the HMS Prince of Wales, the UK Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier. The HMS Prince of Wales is part of the UK's Carrier Strike Group, currently operating in the Indo-Pacific, which recently conducted a maritime exercise with the Indian Navy. '#INSTabar with submarine and P8I aircraft of #IndianNavy participated in a Passage Exercise in the North Arabian Sea on 09 and 10 Jun 25 with HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Richmond from UK Carrier Strike Group,' the Indian Navy said in a post on June 11.
According to the official cited above, the aircraft sought permission from the Thiruvananthapuram airport's Air Traffic Control (ATC) for landing around 9.20pm. 'An emergency was declared at the airport and necessary measures were taken for the safe landing of the jet. Subsequently, the jet landed around 9.30 pm,' the official said.
A retired IAF officer said that such incidents are rare, but not unprecedented.
'The jet may have been airborne for routine flying as part of its training exercise. Once airborne, the pilot may have faced an emergency and perhaps wasn't in a position to go back to the mothership (aircraft carrier),' the retired officer said on condition of anonymity.
Though the reason behind the emergency landing was yet to be confirmed, the IAF officer noted that the reported reason of low fuel was 'unlikely' as military jets accounts for such factors.
'Once the ATC gave permission, the jet may have landed. But to be airborne again, the jet's pilot and the Airport Association of India (AAI) will have to take clearance from the defence and civil aviation ministries. That's the general procedure,' the officer added.
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