Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC, (Retd)

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC served as the 21st Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, taking office on 1 April 2007 to 1 June 2009.

Major was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 31 December 1967 as a helicopter pilot. During his long and distinguished service spanning little over 39 years, he worked in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional, Integrated and Diplomatic appointments. Besides being a Fellow of the National Defence College, New Delhi, and the Army War College, Mhow, he attended a variety of courses like Junior Commanders’ Course, Jungle and Snow Survival Course and Higher Command Courses.

In 1987 the then Wg Cdr Major was part of the IPKF operation. In 1997 the then Air Cmdre Major was appointed Joint Director (Helicopter Operations) and Director Operations (Transport & Helicopter). In 1999, took over as the Air Officer Commanding Leh (Ladakh), in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict.

In 2004, Air Marshal Major was appointed Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) at the Integrated Defence Staff. On 5 September 2005, Air Marshal Major was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command. That tenure saw the successful conduct of three major international air exercises with the United States Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force and the French Air Force.