Picture : @ANI/File
Former Indian Air Force Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a pilot, according to sources.
Varthaman, who downed an enemy jet during an aerial combat with Pakistan in 2019 and was held captive for three days in that country, was honoured with the Vir Chakra award in 2021.
In February 2019, after a Pulwama suicide bombing killed 40 CRPF personnel, Indian forces struck terrorists in Pakistani territory. New Delhi said the target was a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot. Pakistan responded the next day, and the Pakistani Air Force’s retaliation raised fears of war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
On February 27, 2019, he downed Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft before his own jet was struck. His MiG-21 Bison was also hit during the aerial combat, forcing him to eject over Pakistan-occupied territory, where Pakistani forces captured him. Pakistan held him for three days before releasing him on the night of March 1. He also suffered injuries while ejecting from his MiG-21 Bison.
The sources told PTI that Varthaman joined the airline as a pilot in August. When contacted, a FLY91 spokesperson said personal information about employees is a private matter and did not comment. Further details could not be immediately ascertained.
The fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force was decorated with Vir Chakra — India’s third-highest wartime gallantry medal — for displaying an “exceptional sense of duty” during the dogfight, as per the award citation.
FLY91, which started flying in March 2024, currently operates a fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft. The airline’s two bases are Goa and Hyderabad.
