From Downing Pakistan’s F-16 to Commercial Aviation: Abhinandan Varthaman Retires from IAF

Indian Air Force veteran Abhinandan Varthaman, who became a national icon after shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during the 2019 India-Pakistan aerial combat, has reportedly retired prematurely from the IAF and embarked on a new career as a commercial pilot.

According to a PTI report citing sources, the former Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a pilot. He reportedly joined the airline in August after completing 22 years of service in the Indian Air Force.

Varthaman has not yet made any public statement about his retirement or new role. FLY91 has also declined to share personal information about its employees.

The 2019 aerial engagement made Varthaman one of the most recognisable faces of the India-Pakistan military confrontation. On February 27, 2019, a day after Indian Air Force strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot, Varthaman, then a Wing Commander, engaged Pakistani fighter jets and shot down an F-16 while flying his MiG-21 Bison.

His aircraft was subsequently hit, forcing him to eject over Pakistan. He was captured and remained in Pakistani custody for three days before being released on March 1, 2019.

For his conduct during the aerial combat, Varthaman was awarded the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, for displaying an “exceptional sense of duty.”

Now, after more than two decades in military aviation, the celebrated fighter pilot is reportedly making a transition from combat aviation to civilian passenger operations with FLY91, which operates ATR 72-600 aircraft from its bases in Goa and Hyderabad.