Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the government-run manufacturer of the Tejas light combat aircraft, said on Monday that Friday’s crash of the fighter jet in Dubai was an isolated incident caused by “exceptional circumstances”, Reuters reported.

The company did not elaborate on the nature of these circumstances.

On Friday, an Indian Air Force pilot was killed after a Tejas aircraft crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.

The light combat aircraft crashed in an open area near the Al Maktoum International Airport, the venue of the event.

The Air Force has set up a court of inquiry to determine the cause of the crash.

This is the second known crash involving the Tejas fighter jet.

In March 2024, a Tejas aircraft crashed during a training sortie in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer. The pilot had ejected safely in that incident.

The aircraft was inducted into the Air Force in 2016.

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