Abhinandan Varthaman joined Fly91 as Pilot

Exam-focused facts from the 4 September 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Abhinandan Varthaman, a former Group Captain in the Indian Air Force (IAF), joined Goa-based regional carrier Fly91 as a commercial pilot.
He took premature retirement from the IAF on March 31 and joined Fly91 in August.
He is undergoing type training on the ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft at Fly91.
He was conferred the Vir Chakra for shooting down an F-16 during the 2019 India-Pakistan conflict.
He was born on June 21, 1983 in Chennai and was educated at Sainik School and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla.
He was commissioned into the IAF as a Flying Officer on June 19, 2004 and was promoted to Group Captain in December 2021.