Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:13am on 03 Sep 2026,Thursday India
Former Indian Air Force fighter pilot and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman has taken premature retirement after 22 years of service and joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a commercial pilot, PTI reported, citing sources. The former Group Captain reportedly joined the airline in August. Varthaman has not commented, while FLY91 declined to discuss employee information. He became a national hero in February 2019 after downing a Pakistani F-16 during an aerial dogfight, before his MiG-21 Bison was hit and he was captured in Pakistan. He was released after three days and later awarded the Vir Chakra. (PC: X)
