A Greek Air Force F-16 fighter jet that made an emergency landing on Zakynthos last week departed the island early Wednesday aboard a ferry after military crews spent several days preparing the aircraft for transport.
The aircraft was loaded onto the Levante Ferries vessel Kefalonia at the port of Zakynthos shortly before 2 a.m. local time and left the island at 2:10 a.m., six days after the incident that forced the fighter jet to land at Zakynthos Airport, according to local news site imerazante.gr.
The pilot escaped unharmed during the July 9 emergency landing, which Greek state broadcaster previously reported was prompted by a fire aboard the aircraft while it was in flight.
A large technical team arrived on the Ionian island on the day of the incident and succeeded in removing the aircraft from the airport runway following an operation that lasted several hours.
The fighter jet was subsequently dismantled for transport, with crews removing its wings before moving it from the airport to the island’s port in the early hours of Wednesday.
The transfer took place under police and coast guard escort and in the presence of senior Greek Air Force officials, local authorities and civil protection personnel.
Among those attending the operation were Zakynthos Mayor Giorgos Stasinopoulos, Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection Kostas Kokoris and Civil Protection department head Dimitris Adamopoulos.
Video of the F-16 Being Loaded Onto Ferry
Zakynthos, one of Greece’s best-known Ionian islands and a popular summer tourism destination, remained unaffected by the operation.
