MiG-21 Veteran Abhinandan Varthaman Begins Civilian Aviation Journey With Goa's FLY91

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who became a household name across India following his aerial engagement with Pakistan during the 2019 Balakot operation, has retired from the Air Force and joined FLY91, a Goa-based regional airline, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Varthaman formally left the IAF on March 31 after a distinguished career, later joining the private carrier, a move that marks a significant new chapter in his professional journey.

Varthaman first rose to national prominence on February 27, 2019, when, then a Wing Commander, he shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during an intense aerial dogfight over the Line of Control, a day after Indian fighter jets struck a terrorist training facility in Balakot, Pakistan, in response to the Pulwama attack. His own aircraft was subsequently hit, forcing him to eject over Pakistani territory, where he was captured and held in custody for nearly 60 hours before being released and returned to India. For his conduct during the engagement, he was later awarded the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest wartime gallantry honour, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Group Captain.

FLY91, formally known as Just Udo Aviation Private Limited, is an Indian low-cost regional airline headquartered in Ribandar, in Goa's North Goa district. The carrier was founded in January 2023 by aviation industry veterans Harsha Raghavan and Manoj Chacko, both of whom previously worked with the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. FLY91 commenced commercial operations on March 18, 2024, becoming the first Indian airline to use Goa's newly built Manohar International Airport at Mopa as its home base, with its inaugural flights connecting Goa to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Sindhudurg.

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Since launching, FLY91 has steadily expanded its regional network, adding destinations including Agatti in Lakshadweep, Jalgaon, Solapur, Kochi and Pune, largely under the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), known as UDAN, which is designed to enhance air connectivity to India's underserved tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The airline recently marked two years of operations, having flown more than 4.8 lakh passengers across its regional network, and now operates from two hubs, its original base in Goa and a more recently added hub in Hyderabad, connecting a total of nine destinations with plans to scale up to 15 stations in the coming years.

The airline currently operates a fleet of six ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft, with plans to continue expanding its fleet by six to seven aircraft annually over the next five years, aiming to eventually operate a fleet of 30 to 35 planes and connect more than 50 cities across India. Each aircraft in FLY91's fleet has a capacity of 70 to 72 passengers, with plans to extend this to 76 in the near future, and the carrier has continued to add new aircraft through lease arrangements with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise as part of its broader network expansion strategy, including planned additions to cities such as Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Nanded, Dabolim and Hubballi.

Varthaman is expected to undergo the necessary type training and regulatory clearances required before he can begin flying commercially for FLY91, with reports suggesting he may eventually operate on the airline's Goa-Hyderabad route. Neither Varthaman nor FLY91 has issued a detailed public statement regarding his specific role or start date with the airline, with the company citing employee privacy in declining to release further personal details, consistent with the notably low public profile Varthaman has maintained throughout the years following the 2019 engagement that first brought him widespread national recognition.

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