F-35 says 'don't want to leave' Kerala in tourism dept's tongue-in-cheek social media post on stranded UK fighter jet, meme fest follows

A British F-35 fighter jet has been stuck in a Kerala airport for weeks now after making an emergency landing in the southern Indian state. Amid speculations and news reports about its whereabouts in the Trivandrum International Airport, the Kerala Tourism department spotted a marketing opportunity. In a social media post on Wednesday (June 2), it shared the picture of the jet enjoying Kerala. According to the meme fest around the post, the fighter jet is loving it in Kerala, enjoying tea, banana chips and even some toddy. Here's more on the hilarious take and marketing genius of God's Own Country around one of the most expensive fighter jets in the world:

Kerala Tourism department's tongue-in-cheek campaign uses F-35 fighter jet

The post from the Kerala Tourism Department's X handle said: " Kerala, the destination you'll never want to leave."

The picture accompanying the post had a five-star rating given to Kerala by the UK F-35 B, with what was made to look like a line from a review post. It said: “Kerala is such an amazing place, I don't want to leave. Definitely recommend.”

The post acknowledged the parody X handle, The Fauxy, for the idea, which had published a similar satirical post earlier. That post had a cartoonish picture of the aircraft, with the caption: “Kerala: Once you land, you won't want to leave. Ask the British F-35.”

Netizens join the F-35 fighter jet banter with memes

Some other netizens joined the fun conversation, with one user posting a picture of the F-35 joining locals enjoying tea and chips. "No wonder it refuses to leave now- bro found peace, toddy, and banana chips," said the post.

The F-35 has been the subject of several memes due to its rather shameful technical snag that has led to much speculation, with even the British High Commission having to issue some clarifications.

What is the latest status of the British F-35 fighter jet stuck in Kerala?

The jet had taken off from the British aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales on June 14.The plane had to land at the Trivandrum International Airport in the southern state, reportedly after developing a technical issue amid adverse weather conditions, while performing manoeuvres in the Indo-Pacific region. It was initially set to take off within days, but that did not happen. It is reportedly moved to the hangar of the airport. The plane will likely be flown out to the UK once engineers repair it with specialist equipment.

According to reports, British authorities think the Royal Air Force could be back in service after repairs by the expert team.

A British High Commission statement said, "It had been decided that the support of a U.K.-based engineering team is needed. We are working to repair the UK F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as quickly as possible. We thank the Indian authorities for their continued support.”