Fighter jet crash lands at Zakynthos Airport in Greece and bursts into flames

An F-16 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Zakynthos Airport in Greece after a technical failure - emergency services are currently at the scene

12:44, 09 Jul 2026Updated 13:42, 09 Jul 2026

Horror moment fighter jet crash lands on tourist island hotspot after fire(Image: X)

A fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing as it burst into flames. The NATO F-16 crash landed at Zakynthos airport in Greece after experiencing a technical failure.

The aircraft had departed from Araxos when a fire reportedly broke out. According to ERT, the pilot is "safe and in good health." Firefighting efforts are currently underway at the scene.

Greek news outlet Proto Thema reported the Hellenic Air Force F-16 was participating in a NATO exercise. Flights are being canceled at the airport, according to local media outlet ermisnews.

Meanwhile, the Air Force is investigating the causes. eKathimerini, one of Greece's oldest daily newspapers, reports that the jet, of the Hellenic Air Force, belongs to the 116th Combat Wing and had taken off from the Araxos Air Base, in northwestern Peloponnese.

[Zakynthos, Greece - September 21, 2020: Terminal of Zakynthos airport (ZTH) in Greece.]

Several flights have been affected at Zakynthos Airport(Image: Boarding1Now via Getty Images)

The outlet reports that authorities are assessing the damage to the aircraft, which may have experienced a problem with the landing gear - thought this is yet to be verified officially.

Several inbound flights were diverted to other Greek airports, according to Flightradar24. These include British Airways flight BA662 from London Heathrow which was was rerouted to Athens.

TUI flight BY492 from Birmingham and an easyJet service from Milan were diverted to Corfu.

Wizz Air flight W62455 from Budapest also landed in Athens instead of Zakynthos.

Zakynthos, also known as Zante, is one of Greece's best-known holiday destinations, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Greece has an active inventory of approximately 150 F-16 Fighting Falcons in the Hellenic Air Force. The overall fleet is composed of a mix of models acquired over several decades.

Some F-16s still in use were acquired in the late 1980s and 1990s whereas the 116th Fighter Wing flys the newer block-52 + ADV models of aircraft.

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