Overview
- Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman took premature retirement from the Indian Air Force in 2026 and has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a commercial pilot.
- News agencies report he started with FLY91 in August, but neither Varthaman nor the airline has publicly confirmed his role or provided personnel details.
- Varthaman rose to national prominence after the February 2019 aerial engagement in which the IAF says he shot down a Pakistani F-16, he was captured and held for three days, and he received the Vir Chakra in 2021.
- FLY91 began commercial operations in March 2024, operates ATR 72-600 turboprops from bases in Goa and Hyderabad, and is reported to run a small fleet of six aircraft.
- The move shifts Varthaman from frontline combat flying to scheduled passenger service and reflects a broader pattern of former military pilots filling roles in India’s growing regional carriers while keeping personal details private.