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British F-35 fighter jet makes emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala

• Posted on June 15, 2025

An F-35 Lightning II fighter jet belonging to the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy made an emergency landing at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Saturday (June 14, 2025) night. The stealth aircraft, which is believed to have taken off from a British aircraft carrier operating in the Indian Ocean region, touched down safely around 9:28 p.m.

This is a normal occurrence of diversion by the F-35, a Defence Ministry sspokesperson said. “The Indian Air Force (IAF) is fully aware and has facilitated the aircraft for flight safety reasons. All assistance is being given, and IAF is in coordination with all agencies,” the Ministry statement added. Defence sources said the jet was likely part of a joint naval drill.

According to sources, the pilot of the aircraft issued a distress signal on Saturday (June 14, 2025) night as he was running low on fuel. A full-scale emergency was then declared at the airport, and the aircraft landed safely without any further incident. It was shifted to an isolated bay and has been parked there since then. The British authorities changed the crew of the jet at around 5 p.m., using a helicopter to ferry in another pilot, who has been allowed to stay at the airport.

Though there was no official information about the fighter jet’s itinerary or the problems that forced the emergency landing, sources close to the airport authorities said that a technical issue had developed in the F-35 Lightning II. Made by the U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and used by key NATO allies, this is one of the most advanced fighter jets in service globally.

Flight radar tracking shows that the aircraft issued an emergency transponder code SQUAWK 7700 for a few seconds around 9 p.m. off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that the aircraft was in distress and required priority handling from air traffic control at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Defence sources said that no technical details have been disclosed, but it is assumed that the aircraft must have been over the high seas when the issue was reported.

The radar information also shows that this particular jet was flying along the west coast of the United States at around 10 p.m. on June 13. After that, no flight details are available. However, defence sources said the aircraft was reportedly part of a joint naval drill conducted by the Indian Navy and the United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group (UK CSG25) in the western Arabian Sea earlier this week.

Since the combat aircraft is a part of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class carriers – stealth fighters that provide air superiority and enhanced combat capabilities with advanced technology – no other critical operational and technical details were provided by any of the agencies.

The combat jet is expected to take off from the airport once the Union Ministry of Defence grants it clearance, and after addressing the technical issues reported by the aircraft.

F-35 fighter jet from UK makes emergency landing in Kerala due to fuel shortage, technical issues. | Source: The Hindu

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