THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A British Navy F-35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram domestic airport on Saturday while flying over the Arabian Sea. The pilot was seeking permission for an emergency landing as his fuel was running low. The plane landed at around 10.30 pm. An emergency was declared at the airport in advance and security was tightened. Permission was granted to land at Thiruvananthapuram as it is one of the safest airports in South India.

After the fighter jet landed, the Indian Air Force officials arrived to take the British pilot to complete the security procedures, but he refused to step away from the plane. He requested the officials for a chair. After the chair was delivered, the pilot rested for a long time on the chair near the plane before going to the airport with the officials.

The aircraft, which took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, a British naval wing, made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Two days ago, the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group had conducted a joint naval exercise in the western Arabian Sea. HMS Prince of Wales approached the Indian coast as part of this. The aircraft carrier was in the international shipping channel 100 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.

Due to rough seas, the aircraft could not land on the ship and circled for a long time. As the fuel level was low, the pilot sought permission to land the aircraft in India. The IAF granted permission to land the aircraft at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. The Indian Air Force, Navy and airport authorities coordinated the operations. Permission was also granted to refuel the aircraft at the request of the British High Commission. No damage or technical malfunction was found. The aircraft will return to the ship when the weather improves. The F-35B Lightning 2 aircraft is a fifth-generation American-made supersonic fighter jet.