Former Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman has taken premature retirement from the Air Force and started a new career as a commercial pilot with Goa-based regional airline FLY91, according to a PTI report quoting sources.
Abhinandan Varthaman was a former Group Captain of the Indian Air Force and Awardee of the Vir Chakra award for 22 years of service. He joined FLY91 in August, starting a new part of his aviation career after his stint as a fighter pilot, the source pointed out.
The development has not been publicly confirmed yet by either Varthaman or FLY91. A spokesman for the airline said he would not provide any personally identifying details about its staff, saying that it’s a private matter.
FLY91 started their operations in March 2024, and they are currently flying 6 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The airline has bases in Goa and Hyderabad.
Varthaman rose to prominence after the likelihood of a military standoff between the Indian and Pakistani militaries in February 2019. The episode came after India struck an Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Balakot as a result of a terror attack by the group in the city on the Pulwama Capsuleslob that killed 40 CRPF terrorists.
Varthaman’s MiG-21 Bison was downed during an aerial combat with the Pakistan Air Force on 27 February, 2019. He pulled out of the plane and the Pakistani forces caught him, while he is believed to have thankfully shot down an F-16 jetman from Pakistan, during the dogfight.
He was held captive by Pakistan for three days and released on the night of 1st March 2019. Varthaman was injured when he parachuted from his plane.
Based on his “vir Chakra” (the third highest gallantry in wartime) medal, he was honored with the gallantry award of the same name in the same year for his conduct in the aerial engagement and his “exceptional sense of duty”. Sharing the cockpits with American crews is a major modification in his Army aviation career of over 20 years since serving as a fighter pilot with the IAF.