A British F-35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala on Saturday night. Officials said the aircraft was running low on fuel.
The jet requested permission to land and touched down safely around 9:30 p.m., according to an airport official. The fighter was refueled at the airport and is waiting for clearance from the concerned authorities before departure.
On Sunday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that it was aware of the event and assisted the aircraft for safety reasons. In a statement, the IAF said, “This is a normal diversion. IAF was fully informed and helped ensure flight safety. All support has been provided, and coordination with agencies is ongoing.”
The British F-35B landing had taken off from HMS Prince of Wales, the UK Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier. The carrier is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific region and recently participated in a joint naval drill with the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy posted on June 11 thatINSTabar, a submarine, and a P8I aircraft joined the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Richmond in a Passage Exercise in the North Arabian Sea on June 9 and 10.
An airport official said the fighter contacted Thiruvananthapuram’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) around 9:20 p.m. for permission to land. An emergency was declared, and landing protocols were put in place. The jet landed about 10 minutes later.
A retired Indian Air Force officer said such landings are uncommon but not unheard of. He explained that the jet might have been in the air for a routine training flight when the emergency occurred. The pilot may not have been able to return to the aircraft carrier.
While low fuel is the reported reason, the retired officer called it “unlikely” since such jets are equipped to handle fuel planning.
The officer added that after the landing, the pilot and airport staff would now need clearance from both defence and civil aviation ministries before the fighter can take off again. That is the usual process in such cases.