NEW DELHI, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The British Royal Navy's F-35B fighter jet, which had been stranded for over a month at an airport in the southern Indian state of Kerala, finally took off on Tuesday to return home following necessary repairs, officials said.
The stealth jet was grounded at the airport in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, on June 14 due to a hydraulic fault.
According to officials, the fighter jet was diverted there following a midair emergency but subsequently developed serious engineering issues.
The jet was flying from Britain to Australia when it developed a snag and was forced to take a detour to Kerala.
Over the next few weeks, aviation engineers from Britain arrived in Kerala to make necessary repairs. ■
