A Greek F‑16 fighter jet crashed and caught fire at Zakynthos airport, bringing the busy summer terminal to a halt.
The jet was on a training flight when a technical fault forced an unscheduled landing at approximately 13:45 local time (10:45 GMT) on Thursday.
The air force confirmed that the pilot was in good health, and that an investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.
Eyewitness reports say the aircraft showed an onboard fire before it touched the runway, igniting a blaze that prompted an emergency response from firefighters and airport staff.
The F‑16 touched down without deploying its landing gear, skidding dozens of metres across the runway before fire crews extinguished it.
The jet belonged to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece.
Runway closure led to flight delays, with airport boards indicating all of Thursday’s arrivals and departures would be suspended until 21:00.
As the island’s main gateway to thousands of holidaymakers is closed, the incident arrives at the very start of the peak‑season tourism swell, largely driven by UK visitors.
A specialist air‑force team has been dispatched to Zakynthos to remove the wreckage and restore regular service as soon as possible.
