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Avani Chaturvedi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth27 October 1993

Age29 Years

BirthplaceSatna, Madhya Pradesh, India

ProfessionIndian Air Force officer (fighter pilot)

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseVineet Chikara

FamilyFather: Dinkar Chaturvedi; Mother: homemaker; Elder brother: officer in the Indian Army

Avani Chaturvedi Biography

Avani Chaturvedi is an Indian Air Force officer and one of the country’s pioneering women fighter pilots. Born in Madhya Pradesh, she transitioned from an

Early life and background

Avani Chaturvedi was born on 27 October 1993 in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, and grew up in a family with a history of military service. Her father worked as a superintending engineer in the Madhya Pradesh government’s Water Resource Department, and she has an elder brother who serves in the Indian Army. The family home listed for her is Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.

She completed her school education at Adarsh Higher Secondary School in Deoland, Shahdol district. For higher studies she moved to Rajasthan and enrolled at Banasthali University, where she earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science. During her university years she was active in campus life: she was a member of the college flying club, took part in the institution’s annual tech festival Mayukh, and completed a six-month internship as an associate software engineer. Those flying-club experiences helped spark her interest in aviation.

Career

After graduation Avani worked in the IT sector, including a period as a system engineer at IBM lasting over three years. She later decided to pursue a career in the Indian Air Force, cleared the Air Force Common Admission Test, and received recommendation from the Air Force Selection Board. Her military training included a rigorous year at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Telangana, where she trained alongside a largely male cohort.

In July 2016 Avani, together with Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth, was commissioned as a Flying Officer, becoming part of an initiative to induct women as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. On 19 February 2018 she flew a MiG-21 Bison solo from the IAF base at Jamnagar, becoming the first Indian woman to complete a solo sortie in that aircraft.

Her achievements continued to accumulate: she received an honorary doctorate from Banasthali Vidyapeeth in 2018, and in 2020 she was among the women recognized as India’s first female fighter pilots. In 2020 she was also a recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar.

In January 2023 Avani became the first Indian woman fighter pilot to take part in an international air combat exercise, joining the India–Japan aerial drills at Hyakuri airbase. During that exercise she flew the Sukhoi-30MKI.

Public profile

Avani’s profile blends operational flying with public-facing roles. She has been featured in Indian Air Force recruitment material and is known for speaking about flying as a technical discipline where performance is defined by skill and training rather than gender. Outside the cockpit she enjoys painting, sketching, playing chess and table tennis, and she also plays musical instruments, including the violin.

Personal life

Avani married Vineet Chikara, a flight lieutenant in the Indian Air Force, in November 2019. Her family life includes the influence of relatives in uniform, which she has cited as an inspiration for her own career. Her listed physical details include a height of approximately 163 cm and a weight around 50 kg; her eye and hair colour are described as black.

Latest updates

Notable recent milestones include her participation in the January 2023 India–Japan air combat exercise, where she flew the Sukhoi-30MKI and became the first woman from the Indian Air Force to take part in such an international aerial combat event. Her pioneering solo flight in the MiG-21 Bison in 2018 remains a landmark in her career.
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Recent Work

Participation in India–Japan air combat exercise

Took part in the bilateral aerial war exercise at Hyakuri airbase in Japan (12–26 January 2023) and flew the Sukhoi-30MKI.

2023
First solo MiG-21 Bison sortie

Completed a solo flight in a MiG-21 Bison from IAF Jamnagar base, becoming the first Indian woman to do so.

2018
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Career Highlights

  1. One of the first women commissioned as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force (2016)
  2. First Indian woman to fly a MiG-21 Bison solo (2018)
  3. Awarded an honorary doctorate by Banasthali Vidyapeeth (2018)
  4. Recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar (2020)
  5. First IAF woman fighter pilot to participate in an international air combat exercise (2023)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Avani Chaturvedi born?

27 October 1993

What is Avani Chaturvedi known for?

Indian Air Force officer (fighter pilot)

What is Avani Chaturvedi’s marital status?

Married

Who is Avani Chaturvedi married to?

Vineet Chikara