Grounded British fighter jet becomes meme material in Kerala. What lies ahead for the stranded F-35?
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The Hindu
6 hours ago
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Kerala Tourism courts row after roping in YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for tourism promotion
After riding high on the social media sensation created by the F-35B campaign of Kerala Tourism, which went viral in cyberspace, Kerala Tourism now hit an air pocket following a controversy over roping in Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan on May 20, 2025, for its social media campaign. According to a reply by Kerala Tourism to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Tourism department made use of the services of 41 selected social media influencers for the promotion of the State. The 41 selected influencers also toured the State during the period between January 1 and May 21, 2025. The invitation to Ms. Malhotra was extended by Kerala Tourism, and she had visited various tourist destinations in Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar. The department had footed the bills for her stay and travel apart from the engagement rate fixed for availing her service. For six days According to a statement issued by the office of Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on Sunday, she was part of the media familiarisation (FAM) trip conducted by Kerala Tourism, and she had stayed here for about six days between January 15 and 21, 2025. When Ms. Malhotra, with 392k followers on social media, was selected for the promotional tour by the empanelled marketing agencies, there was no case charged against her by any of the enforcement agencies in India. To date, Kerala had made use of the services of over 500 vloggers during the last 15 years as part of tourism promotion campaigns like Blog Express, Keralam Kanam, My First Trip, Human by Nature, Land of Harmony, etc. Ms. Malhotra's service was also used by other States for promotional activities. The only thing Kerala Tourism could ensure during the time of selecting the social media influencers was that they were not charged with any cases during the time of selection. 'Thwarting progress' The present controversy is aimed at thwarting the progress and reputation of Kerala as a safe, secure, and beautiful destination in the country, said the statement. Earlier, an AI-generated picture of the grounded F-35B of the U.K. at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport used by the Kerala Tourism for the promotion of the State went viral on social media.
First Post
9 hours ago
- First Post
Kerala Tourism Trolls Stranded British F-35 Fighter Jet Vantage with Palki Sharma
Kerala Tourism Trolls Stranded British F-35 Fighter Jet | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G Kerala Tourism Trolls Stranded British F-35 Fighter Jet | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G Kerala's tourism department has trolled the stranded British fighter jet that made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram last month. The warplane's 17-day struggle has triggered a memefest on social media. Palki Sharma brings you the best ones on Joke of the Day. See More
India Gazette
10 hours ago
- India Gazette
Kerala: UK team arrives to assess F-35 jet after emergency landing
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 6 (ANI): A team of around 25 technical experts from the British Royal Air Force is expected to land in Kerala on Sunday aboard an A400M Atlas military transport aircraft to inspect the F-35B fighter jet that made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14, sources said. The visiting team will assess the condition of the stranded jet to determine whether it can be repaired locally or needs to be dismantled and transported back to the United Kingdom. Since its unscheduled landing nearly three weeks ago, the presence of the advanced stealth fighter has generated considerable public curiosity and turned into a quirky marketing trend in the state. The Kerala Tourism Department was the first to share an image of the aircraft on social media, accompanied by a humorous caption, and this was quickly followed by similar posts from Milma (Kerala's dairy cooperative), the Kerala Police, the State AIDS Control Society, and several private organisations. The British Royal Navy's F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, valued at over $110 million, has been grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, India, since June 14, 2025. The aircraft made an emergency landing due to low fuel and adverse weather conditions while operating from the UK's HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group in the Indo-Pacific region. The aircraft is being guarded round the clock by India's Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and British personnel. Inclement weather conditions prevented the aircraft from safely landing on the carrier, making the emergency landing at the airport necessary. 'A Royal Navy F-35B fighter recovered off an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of 14 June 25. Operating from a UK Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, it was undertaking routine flying outside Indian ADIZ with Thiruvananthapuram earmarked as the emergency recovery airfield,' the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a post on X. The IAF further stated, 'On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F-35 B was detected and identified by the IAF's IACCS network and cleared for the recovery. IAF is providing all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft.' Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales initially assessed the situation and determined that additional technical expertise and equipment from the UK were required. The aircraft will be moved to a maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at the airport once the specialist equipment and the UK-based engineering team arrive. (ANI)
