A British F-35B fighter jet that was stranded at an airport in southern India for more than a month over mechanical issues, becoming a local celebrity in the process, is finally making its way home.
British engineers had struggled for weeks to fix the aircraft, which was unable to return to an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea after a flight in mid-June because of bad weather.
It was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the state of Kerala for what proved a lengthy stay.
The British High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement that an engineering team deployed to fix the aircraft in early July had managed to repair it, “allowing the aircraft to resume active service.” The advanced jet, worth more than $100 million, was on its way to Darwin, Australia, according to an official at the Kerala airport, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the jet.
