Abhinandan, shot down by PAF in 2019, retires from IAF: report

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.

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.

“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.

The Press Trust of India report claimed that Abhinandan joined the private airline in August.

“So far, Varthaman has not issued any statement on the matter. A FLY91 spokesperson also refused to release any personal information about employees, saying it is a private matter,” NDTV adds.

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.

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.

The following day, Islamabad carried out strikes from Pakistani airspace targeting military installations across the Line of Control (LoC).

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.

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. “The officers of the Pakistani Army have looked after me very well. They are thorough gentlemen, starting from the captain who rescued me from the mob.”

Abhinandan was also holding a cup of tea in the video, which he said was “fantastic”.

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.

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.

Abhinandan, however, has never publicly claimed the 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”.