U.K. Royal Air Force team lands in Kerala to repair grounded F-35B

The Hindu

7 days ago

After weeks-long speculation and uncertainty, the Royal Air Force aircraft carrying an expert team of engineers from the U.K. touched down at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 12.46 p.m. on Sunday (July 6, 2025) to repair the grounded F-35B of the Royal Air Force in Thiruvananthapuram. The combat jet of the U.K. remained grounded at the airport since June 14 after it made an emergency landing following technical glitches.
According to the flight data details, the flight that left RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in the U.K., the largest RAF Station with approximately 5,800 service personnel, on Friday (July 4, 2025) reached the military base of RAF Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on the same day. It later took off from Akrotiri on Saturday (July 5, 2025) and landed at Seeb International Airport on the same day. The aircraft then began its journey to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from Muscat on Sunday morning and landed here at 12.46 p.m.
According to sources, the team comprises around 17 engineers from the U.K. and the U.S. where the manufacturer Lockheed Martin is based. The Royal Air Force aircraft that brought the expert team to Kerala will return by evening. The team will stay here a few days exploring the possibility of repairing the grounded aircraft here. They will explore the possibility of fixing the engineering issues of the aircraft at the place where it is stationed now (bay number four of the domestic terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport).
If it doesn't work, they would consider the aircraft being towed to the hangar facility of the airport. Dismantling the tail and wings of the aircraft and airlifting the aircraft back to the U.K. or to the U.S. would be considered only if the first two options do not work. The team will hold an inspection of the aircraft by Sunday (July 6, 2025). A final call on the options to be adopted will be taken only after this inspection, said the sources.
The continued grounding of the aircraft has created a sensation in India with the aircraft inviting wide media attention and subsequent speculation on its future. The U.K. authorities had been maintaining that they were hopeful of the aircraft being taken to the active service of the Royal Air Force once the maintenance and repair of the aircraft is completed in Kerala, along with the mandatory safety checks. However, the delay in the arrival of the expert team led to speculation and a meme sensation on social media. The aircraft made an emergency landing following adverse weather conditions in the Indian Ocean. However, the aircraft had serious engineering issues that couldn't be fixed by the crew.