Abhinandan Varthaman, an Indian Air Force pilot who was held captive by Pakistan in 2019 after his MiG-21 fighter was shot down, has retired from the IAF and joined a private airline as a commercial pilot. The 22-year veteran of the force, who was awarded India's Vir Chakra medal for his actions during the 2019 air battle, reportedly started working at Goa-based FLY91 in August. According to NDTV, Abhinandan is now flying ATR 72-600 aircraft with the airline, which began operations in March 2024 and has a fleet of six planes. The details of Abhinandan's retirement were reported by Indian broadcaster NDTV, citing sources from The Press Trust of India.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive by Pakistan for three days after his MiG-21 fighter was shot down in February 2019, has retired from the force and joined a private airline as a commercial pilot. According to reports, Abhinandan Varthaman served in the Air Force for 22 years before joining FLY91, a Goa-based regional carrier that began operations in March 2024 with a fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft. He was awarded the Vir Chakra medal by then-Indian president Ram Nath Kovind after his release, but has yet to issue any statement on his decision to leave the Air Force and join the private airline.
Written for “Indian Air Force Officer Retires” on 2026-09-03,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 3609 · logged 2026-09-03
Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive for three days after Pakistan shot down his MiG-21 fighter during Operation Swift Retort in February 2019, has retired from the force and joined a private airline as a commercial pilot, Indian broadcaster NDTV reported.
asserted
NDTV → hold → pilot
According to the broadcaster, Abhinandan joined a Goa-based regional carrier FLY91, which began operations in March 2024 and currently operates a fleet of six ATR 72-600 aircraft.
uncertain
which → accord → aircraft
“The former group captain and Vir Chakra awardee, who served in the Air Force for 22 years, has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a pilot,” NDTV reports citing The Press Trust of India, which quoted sources.
asserted
which → serve → sources
The Press Trust of India report claimed that Abhinandan joined the private airline in August.
asserted
Abhinandan → claim → August
“So far, Varthaman has not issued any statement on the matter.
asserted
Varthaman → issue → matter
A FLY91 spokesperson also refused to release any personal information about employees, saying it is a private matter,” NDTV adds.
asserted
NDTV → refuse → employees
In February 2019, after an attack in India-occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama area claimed the lives of 44 Indian paramilitary personnel, Indian forces launched air strikes on Balakot in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, claiming to have hit a camp operated by a banned organisation.
asserted
forces → occupy → organisation
The Indian air strikes caused “no casualties and no damage on the ground due to the bombs being dropped”, according to the region’s police chief.
uncertain
bombs → cause → chief
The following day, Islamabad carried out strikes from Pakistani airspace targeting military installations across the Line of Control (LoC).
asserted
Islamabad → follow → Control
In an ensuing air battle, two Indian aircraft were shot down, with Pakistan capturing Indian pilot Abhinandan and holding him in custody for three days.
asserted
Pakistan → ensue → days
A video statement then emerged of Abhinandan, lauding the Pakistani military for the treatment meted out to him after his arrest.
“I would like to put this on recordl, and I will not change my statement if I go back to my country also,” he said.
asserted
he → emerge → country
“The officers of the Pakistani Army have looked after me very well.
asserted
officers → look → me
They are thorough gentlemen, starting from the captain who rescued me from the mob.”
asserted
who → start → mob
Abhinandan was also holding a cup of tea in the video, which he said was “fantastic”.
asserted
he → hold → video
On March 2, 2019, Abhinandan was released and crossed over the Wagah Border to return to India, in a move aimed at de-escalating tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.
asserted
Abhinandan → release → Islamabad
Two years later, Abhinandan was conferred the Vir Chakra — India’s third-highest military honour — for his actions during the 2019 air battle and for reportedly shooting down a Pakistani F-16 — a claim that has been debunked by Pakistan and foreign media outlets.
uncertain
that → confer → Pakistan
Abhinandan, however, has never publicly claimed the kill.
asserted
Abhinandan → claim → kill
Then Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor said all four “missile seeker heads” were recovered intact from the wreckage of the Indian pilot’s MiG-21 fighter jet, implying that they were never fired.
Foreign Policy magazine interviewed two US defence officials with “knowledge of the count” of Pakistan’s F-16 jets and both confirmed that all the F-16s were “present and accounted for”.
In a statement issued a day after Abhinandan was given the Vir Chakra medal by then-Indian president Ram Nath Kovind, the Foreign Office said the move was done to “hide [India’s] embarrassment”.
asserted
move → say → embarrassment
