Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down Pak fighter jet retires, takes up private job
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down Pak fighter jet retires, takes up private job")
Former Indian Air Force fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman Photograph: (ANI)
The former Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman reportedly left the Indian Air Force on March 31 after serving for 22 years.
Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who, during the surgical strike against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan in 2019 shot down a Pakistani F-16 over the Line of Control (LoC) has quit his job in the form of premature retirement from the Air Force.
The former Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee left the IAF on March 31 after serving for 22 years. He has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a pilot, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.
He reportedly joined the private airline in August. However, there has been no statement so far by Varthaman on his new job.
The Goa-based regional airline FLY91 has also refrained from saying anything on the former Indian Air Force pilot joining the company.
The airline that started flying in March 2024 operates a fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft. The airline's two bases are Goa and Hyderabad.
About Abhinandan Varthaman
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The Indian Air Force fighter pilot came to limelight during the India-Pakistan military confrontation of February 2019, also known as the Balakot strike carried out by India in retaliation to the Pulwama terrorist attack.
Varthaman, was awarded Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during a dogfight over the Line of Control (LoC).
His aircraft, a MiG-21, was also shot down in an air duel with a Pakistan Air Force jet and held captive for three days in Pakistan. But India exerted international pressure and Pakistan was bound to release Varthaman. On 1 March 2019, Abhinandan crossed back into India through the Wagah-Attari border.
Abhinandan was subsequently awarded the Vir Chakra, one of India's wartime gallantry decorations. The award was announced in August 2019 and formally presented by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 November 2021
