Originally the pilot declared a low fuel emergency and landed at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Reports were that the pilot refused to leave the plane until a British security team arrived to secure the plane. But since then it's turned into somewhat of a tourist attraction.
They've been tight-lipped about what the issue was where they couldn't just fuel it up and fly back to the carrier.
It's about ready to be taken home in a C-130.
A top-of-the-line British F-35B fighter jet recently became stranded at an airport in Kerala, in southern India, after a hiccup over the Arabian Sea — and has become something of a local celebrity.
As the British military works to find a way to bring it home, A.I.-generated images of the jet — an aircraft worth more than $100 million currently parked on the airport’s tarmac — have spread across India.
The region’s tourism agency has joined in, posting a fictitious five-star review from the plane on social media: “Kerala is such an amazing place, I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend.”
They've been tight-lipped about what the issue was where they couldn't just fuel it up and fly back to the carrier.
Since the jet's landing, engineers from HMS Prince of Wales have assessed the aircraft, but the visiting teams have been unable to fix it so far.
On Thursday, the British High Commission said in a statement to the BBC: "The UK has accepted an offer to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility at the airport. It will be moved to the hangar once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment, thereby ensuring there is minimal disruption to scheduled maintenance of other aircraft.
"The aircraft will return to active service once repairs and safety checks have been completed," it added. "Ground teams continue to work closely with Indian authorities to ensure safety and security precautions are observed."
It's about ready to be taken home in a C-130.
