Jet made emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala state on June 14 and was grounded afterwards
A British F-35B fighter jet that made an emergency landing in southern India last month took off on Tuesday to return home, according to images published in local media.
The jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in southern Kerala state on June 14 due to "technical issues."
It had since been grounded until British technicians arrived to fix it.
According to the Indian Air Force, the jet was part of the operations carried out by the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which provided "all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft."
A UK engineering team then arrived in India to repair the grounded fighter so that it could return home.
Earlier, media reports had claimed that the jet was likely to be partially dismantled and airlifted back home aboard a military cargo aircraft.
Indian media broadcast footage of the fighter jet flying out of India on Tuesday morning.
The fighter jet also prompted authorities in Kerala, a popular tourist destination, to promote tourism in the southern Indian state.
“Kerala is such an amazing place. I don't want to leave. Definitely recommend,” stated a Kerala Tourism post about the jet, which went viral on social media.
It depicted the fighter jet alongside coconut palm trees, a popular attraction in Kerala.
