Greek F‑16 jet crash‑lands at busy Zakynthos airport

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:15:59 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Hellenic Air Force F‑16 lands in a fire at Zakynthos, closing the island’s busiest airport during peak summer season.

During a routine training flight, a Greek F‑16 crashed at Zakynthos airport, sparking a runway fire and forcing the closure of the main terminal. The aircraft, which did not deploy its landing gear, slid across the runway before firefighters extinguished the blaze. The incident caused severe delays, stalling departures and arrivals until 21:00, and disrupted travel plans for thousands of tourists heading to the island. The Hellenic Air Force is investigating the technical fault that led to the crash, and a specialist team is working to remove the damaged aircraft and restore airport operations.

Greek F‑16 jet crash‑lands at busy Zakynthos airport

The Hellenic Air Force reported that an F‑16 fighter jet from the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing landed unexpectedly at Zakynthos airport after a technical fault during a training flight.

The aircraft arrived at 13:45 local time (10:45 GMT) and, before touching down, the crew received an onboard fire warning. The jet slid several dozen meters down the runway, skidding into a blaze that required an emergency response from airport firefighters.

Importantly, the F‑16 did not deploy its landing gear, which contributed to the slide and added to the severity of the incident. Firefighters were seen dousing the flames while a trained air‑force team worked to secure the damaged aircraft.

The runway was closed for the rest of the day, disrupting all scheduled arrivals and departures. Delays were listed on the airport’s flight boards until 21:00, with many flights pushed back by hours or cancelled altogether.

Given the incident’s timing, it struck the island during the early summer holiday season, a period when thousands of tourists from the UK and other countries are expected to travel to Zakynthos. The delay to the airport’s operations is likely to affect a significant number of visitors heading to the island’s resorts.

The Hellenic Air Force confirmed that the pilot was safe and that the crash will be fully investigated to determine the root cause of the technical failure. A specialist ground team is expected to clear the runway and remove the aircraft to restore normal airport operations as quickly as possible.