Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 01:48pm on 03 Sep 2026,Thursday India
Former Indian Air Force Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a commercial pilot after retiring from the IAF. He served for nearly 22 years and became widely known after the February 2019 India-Pakistan aerial engagement following the Balakot strikes. Flying a MiG-21 Bison, Varthaman was involved in the downing of a Pakistani F-16 before his aircraft was hit and he was captured after ejecting over Pakistan. He was released three days later. Varthaman is now undergoing training to fly ATR aircraft for FLY91. (PC: PTI)
