Greek air force F-16 catches fire after emergency landing at Zakynthos airport

New Delhi: A Hellenic Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon made an emergency landing at Zakynthos International Airport in Greece on Thursday, after developing a technical problem mid-flight. Flames erupted beneath the aircraft soon after it touched down, prompting an immediate emergency response.

Airport firefighters extinguished the fire within seconds, preventing it from spreading to the aircraft’s fuel tanks. The pilot escaped safely and was not injured. The Hellenic Air Force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the malfunction, the source of the fire, and the extent of damage to the aircraft. 

The aircraft belonged to the 335th Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing, based at Araxos airbase in northwestern Peloponnese. It had been on a training mission over the Ionian Sea when the pilot diverted to Zakynthos after the malfunction. A Hellenic Air Force spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Konstantinos Gravalos, confirmed the pilot was safe and in good health.

Zakynthos International Airport, which operates a single runway, temporarily suspended operations while emergency crews cleared the runway. Several commercial flights were disrupted as a result: British Airways diverted its flights to Athens, easyJet diverted to Corfu, and a Wizz Air flight from Budapest was diverted to Athens. Departing flights also faced delays before operations resumed.

The 116th Combat Wing operates the newer F-16 Block 52+ Advanced variant and has flown F-16s since 2007. Greece’s air force operates about 150 F-16 aircraft in total, with jets acquired from the late 1980s onward. Zakynthos airport, which opened in 1972, handles more than two million passengers a year and is one of Greece’s busiest tourist airports, particularly popular with British travellers.