British fighter jet F-35B for sale on OLX? Here's the truth about aircraft grounded at Thiruvananthapuram airport

Days after a British Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, several social media posts claimed that the British F-35B Lightning II was up for sale on OLX.

The British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet landed at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on June 14 due to a suspected hydraulic issue. The plane remains grounded there. According to media reports, India's offer to move the jet to a hangar at the airport to help the British technical team carry out repairs was declined by the Royal Navy.   

The British jet was on a routine flight outside Indian airspace when it developed a technical fault and diverted to the southern Indian airport.

Meanwhile, screenshots from OLX were also posted on social media by users, claiming the aircraft was up for sale for $4 million. The viral post, however, is fake.

In fact, no such post was found on OLX's official website. Moreover, the F-35 fighter jet was priced in US dollars in the ‘OLX advertisement’, suggesting the post was fabricated.

When Livemint scanned the OLX website https://www.olx.in/, we found that a person named Om Sai Ram, who has been an OLX  member since 2018, listed the fighter jet on June 20 for ₹1 crore.

However, social media users took a swipe and commented on the incident.

Here are a few comments:

One wrote, "Someone put a UK F-35B fighter jet up for sale on OLX🤣 kaise kaise log rehte hai yahan.."

Another wrote, "British F-35B Fighter Jet is on sale for only $4 million in Kerala, India. The description is wild...."

A third wrote, “Someone put a selling ads of America billion dollars fighter jet F-35B for sale. This fighter jet is in India for 6 days long due to technical issues. India is not for beginners 🤣🤣 Kya log hain vaiii.”

"Someone have put that stranded UK F-35B Fighter Jet on OLX," wrote a fourth user.

Why the jet remains grounded 

Though the British jet's emergency landing was caused by a technical fault, the fifth-generation combat jet was still stationed at the airport for a third day.

Shortly after the incident, technicians from the carrier arrived to begin inspection and repairs. Six of them returned to the ship on Tuesday afternoon, while three personnel – including the pilot – remain at Thiruvananthapuram to oversee the rectification efforts.

The pilot has been resting in the airport's apron office area and the aircrew were moved to the Emergency Medical Centre after the incident, as per the precautionary protocol.

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has been facilitating their stay, providing accommodation and meals.

At the Royal Navy's request, a local ground handling agency was also arranged, and the Indian Air Force is supporting the UK team in returning the aircraft to full service.

With agency inputs.