Panaji: Group captain Abhinandan Varthaman, the MiG-21 pilot who shot down an F-16 in the dogfight with Pakistani fighter jets, has quietly retired and moved to Goa. The fighter pilot, whose handlebar moustache made him instantly identifiable, joined Goa-based airline FLY91 in Aug.He is currently undergoing training on the ATR 72-600, a twin turboprop passenger aircraft, which FLY91 sources say he may operate on the Goa-Hyderabad sector.Abhinandan was awarded the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, after his MiG-21 Bison was shot down and he was captured by Pakistani forces. “He joined some weeks ago,” said a FLY91 source.Abhinandan, who was held captive for three days in Pakistan, opted for premature retirement from the IAF to begin his new career as a commercial pilot.“We have pilots who have flown all kinds of aircraft right from Su-30s to the MiG-21, MiG-29 and the Mirage, you name it. In addition to 15 aviators in the cockpit, we also have engineers, technicians, who have served the Indian military. We also have a military aviator from a friendly foreign country. We are extremely proud and privileged to have every single veteran from the forces fly for us and we look forward to welcoming a lot more as they come in for their second career. So super proud to have every single defence officer who flies for us,” said FLY91 founder and CEO Manoj Chacko.A source said the IAF officer reached out to FLY91 and is currently undergoing training overseas to qualify as an ATR pilot. “A lot of these veterans choose Goa because the place is comfortable and the family also finds it like a nice place to live in,” said the source.The airline, which commenced flying operations in March 2024, currently operates a fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft. The airline’s two bases are Goa and Hyderabad.Meanwhile, FLY91 also signed an order for 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft worth approximately $1 billion on Thursday, marking the largest ATR order globally for any regional airline. From its current fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft, FLY91 is now poised for exponential expansion to more than 60 aircraft over the coming years.Varthaman became the face of the Balakot surgical strikes after his capture by Pakistani forces during the Feb 2019 skirmish between India and Pakistan.That month, Indian forces launched air strikes against terrorists in Pakistani territory after a suicide bombing in Pulwama killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. New Delhi said strikes targeted a training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group in Balakot.“On Feb 27, 2019, a large force of Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft, consisting of F-16s and JF-17s, were detected heading toward the line of control and the IAF responded by scrambling its own fighter jets to intercept the Pakistani fighter jets. Abhinandan, then a wing commander with the IAF, was part of the interception team.“Displaying exceptional air combat acumen and knowledge of the enemy’s tactics, Wing Commander Varthaman Abhinandan scanned the low altitude airspace with his airborne intercept (Al) radar and picked up an enemy aircraft that was flying low to ambush the Indian fighter interceptor aircraft,” says the Vir Chakra citation.Abhinandan alerted the other Indian pilots about the enemy fighter jets and then along with his wingman turned to attack the hostile Pakistani aircraft that was targeting Indian Army positions.“This audacious and aggressive maneuver forced the enemy aircraft into tactical chaos. All the enemy aircraft thereafter turned back including the rear echelon aircraft who were yet to launch their air to ground weapons. Wing Commander Varthaman Abhinandan then pursued a retreating enemy fighter bomber aircraft, and in the ensuing aerial combat, shot down an F-16 aircraft with his on-board missile,” says the citation.In the melee, one of the enemy aircraft fired multiple advanced BVR missiles, one of which hit Abhinandan’s MiG-21 Bison forcing him to eject in enemy territory.Despite being captured by Pakistani forces, Abhinandan displayed a stoic, brave, and dignified persona till he was returned to India on March 1, 2019.“Wing Commander Varthaman Abhinandan showed conspicuous courage, demonstrated gallantry in the face of the enemy while disregarding personal safety and displayed exceptional sense of duty,” said the citation.
