An F-16 fighter jet of the Greek Air Force made an emergency landing at the airport of the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea, on Thursday afternoon.
According to initial information, the pilot is safe and in good health.
Upon the aircraft landing, firefighting forces rushed to the scene to deal with any fire incident, while they also sprayed special foam as a precaution to prevent it from spreading in the event of a fire.
A video shows that there were flames under the fighter jet when it landed:
JUST IN: A Hellenic Air Force F-16C emergency landed at Zakynthos International Airport in southern Greece today, with firefighters extinguishing flames under the jet. pic.twitter.com/9QecqCVpwp
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 9, 2026
At this time, authorities are assessing the damage to the aircraft, which may have experienced a problem with the landing gear.
The jet belongs to the 116th Combat Wing and had taken off from the Araxos Air Base, in northwestern Peloponnese.
In a statement the General Staff of the Greek Air Force said:
“On Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 1:45 p.m., an F-16 aircraft of the 335th Squadron of the 116th Fighter Wing, which was participating in a training flight, made an emergency landing at Zakynthos Airport due to a malfunction.
The pilot of the aircraft is in good health.
The causes of the incident are being investigated.”
