New Delhi: Former Indian Air Force fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the 2019 India-Pakistan aerial engagement, has joined regional carrier FLY91 as a commercial pilot after retiring from military service, according to sources.
Varthaman, 43, retired from the IAF on March 31 after serving in the force for more than two decades. He joined the Goa-based airline in August, the sources said.
There were no immediate details about his designation or flying responsibilities. A FLY91 spokesperson declined to comment, saying information about individual employees was a private matter, as reported by India Today.
The aerial engagement took place in February 2019, a day after India conducted an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot. During the ensuing combat, Varthaman, then flying a MiG-21 Bison, engaged Pakistani aircraft and shot down an F-16.
His aircraft was later hit, forcing him to eject over Pakistan-occupied territory. He was captured by Pakistani forces and held for three days before being handed back to India.
Varthaman, now a decorated former fighter pilot, is widely described as the only MiG-21 pilot to have shot down an F-16. He was awarded the Vir Chakra in 2021 for his conduct during the aerial battle and for displaying an “exceptional sense of duty”.
The award citation said Varthaman continued to engage the opposing aircraft despite facing a numerically superior force.
He was a Wing Commander during the 2019 operation and was later promoted by the IAF to the rank of Group Captain.
FLY91 began commercial operations in March 2024. The airline currently operates six ATR 72-600 aircraft and has bases in Goa and Hyderabad.
