British F-35 fighter jet stranded in India for over a month takes off after inspiring memes

NEW DELHI (AP) — A British F-35B fighter jet stranded at an Indian airport for more than a month, sparking memes and cartoons on social media, took off Tuesday after being repaired by a team of U.K. engineers, an Indian official said.

The stealth fighter, one of the world’s most advanced and costing around $115 million, was grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the southern state of Kerala due to technical snags.

The aircraft had hydraulic issues and problems with its auxiliary power unit that have been fixed, said the Thiruvananthapuram official, who wasn’t authorized to speak with the media and requested anonymity.

The aircraft will fly to a British aircraft carrier in Darwin, Australia, the official said.

The British High Commission and U.K.’s Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The jet was on a regular sortie in the Arabian Sea in June when it ran into bad weather and couldn’t return to the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales. The aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and landed safely June 14.

The stranded military aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, triggered A.I.-generated memes in India. A Kerala tourism department social media post showed the plane on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees with a fictitious five-star review: “Kerala is such an amazing place, I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend.”

The top official at the tourism department, K. Biju, said the post was in “good humor.”

“It was our way to appreciate and thank the Brits who are the biggest inbound visitors to Kerala for tourism,” Biju said.

Another cartoon posted on X showed the plane enjoying snacks with a group of locals against a scenic background.

There was speculation in India that the aircraft could be partially dismantled and transported in a cargo plane if repairs were unsuccesful. The U.K. Ministry of Defense dismissed the speculation in a statement.