Repairs on UK fighter jet grounded in Kerala enter final stages, aircraft refuelled

The maintenance work on the grounded F-35B fighter jet of the Royal Air Force, United Kingdom (UK), has entered the final stages in Kerala. The expert team of engineers from the U.K., which started attending to the aircraft at Thiruvananthapuram international airport on July 6, 2025, have refuelled the aircraft as part of inspecting the operational efficiency and mandatory safety checks.

The aircraft also requires the clearance of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence to fly back to its base station in the U.K.

Though the U.K. authorities have not officially communicated the status of the maintenance work and its likely departure to the U.K., it is expected that the aircraft can be taken back to its base station in the fourth week of July.

The equipment and engineers brought to Kerala will be taken back to the U.K. ahead of the departure of the aircraft. The U.K. crew had applied for the Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP), a type of security clearance that allows them to access restricted areas of the airport, for one month.

The combat jet has remained grounded at the airport since June 14 after it made an emergency landing following technical glitches.

The expert team had inspected the aircraft and towed it to the hangar at the airport as part of fixing the engineering issues, where entry for Indian staff has been strictly restricted. Once the maintenance is over, the aircraft will be taken out to the airside of the airport from the hangar facility, said sources.

The continued grounding of the aircraft has created a sensation of sorts in India, with the aircraft inviting wide media attention and subsequent speculation on its future. The U.K. authorities, however, 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 repairs are over in Kerala.