Air India passengers are gearing up for a new in-flight dining experience as the airline is revamping its entire food menu. Air India has expanded its food offerings to include International, Modern Indian as well as regional Indian food to suit the varied preferences of the guests. The flight operator is all set to regale its guests with plenty of delicious food, trendy appetizers and decadent desserts to choose from. In keeping with the latest trend of healthy eating, the new menu will also include a range of light meals that will not weigh down fliers. Here are the details of fresh food options now available on all Air India domestic and international flights.
Highlights of Air India’s new inflight dining services:
- The menu cycles every other day to avoid monotony for regular fliers.
- The set menu changes according to the time of day.
- The entire menu is revamped after every six months.
- Seasonal foods are added to the menu whenever applicable.
- The menu cards mention the nutritional values of each dish.
- A comprehensive list of religious and dietary meal options as prescribed by IATA is available on the reservation system.
- New menus have been launched from London, Milan and Copenhagen, and more are coming soon.
Air India has introduced a variety of food in the new menu.
Photo credit: Shubham Bhatnagar
Air India Domestic Inflight Dining:
From October 1, 2022, Air India introduced new menus for all domestic flights, featuring remastered regional specialties from around the world to please global tastes. The food options now have a mix of Asian, continental and modern Indian cuisine with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for breakfast, lunch, refreshments and dinner. Items on the menu include:
Indian cuisine: Aloo Parantha, Medu Vada and Podi Idli for breakfast. Lunch and High Tea options include Fish Curry, Chicken Chettinad, Potato Podimas, Chicken 65, Vegetable Pulao, Dry Jeera Aloo Veg and Mumbai Batata Vada.
International cuisine: Grilled Sliced Pesto Chicken Sandwiches, Croissants, Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins, Cheese and Truffle Oil Scrambled Eggs with Chives, Cheese Mushroom Omelette, and Mustard Cream-Coated Chicken Sausage, Vegetable Fried Noodles, Chili Chicken and more.
Air India International Inflight Dining (outside India):
On 1 April 2023, Air India launched new inflight food and beverage menus across cabins on all international flights (outside India) based on guest feedback. The airline aims to offer the finest of Indian cuisine to millions of passengers in India and around the world. The menu also includes a vast selection of international food options.
Indian cuisine: Mixed Vegetable Paratha, Achari Paneer, Murgh Rejala Kofta, Murgh Elaichi Korma, Chicken Chettinad Kathi Roll, Masala Dal and Brown Rice Khichdi with Sprouts, Classic Tomato and Coriander Shorba with Crisp Namakpara etc.
International cuisine: Mushroom Scrambled Eggs, Turmeric Chilli Omelet, Emmental Sandwich in Multigrain Bread, Grilled Prawns in Fennel Cream Sauce, Classic Chili Chicken, Baked Fillet of Fish, Roast Tomato and Bocconcini Caprese with Kalamata Olives and Pesto, among others.
Vegetarian Option: Vegetable Seekh Kebab, Thai Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables, Broccoli and Millet Steak, Lemon Vermicelli Upma, Medu Vada and Masala Uttapam.
Sweet: Mango Passionfruit Delight, Quinoa Orange Pudding, Espresso Almond Crumble Mousse Cake, Date Crumb with Saffron Phirni, Single Origin Chocolate Slice, Cham-Cham Sandwich with Blueberry Sauce, and a selection of seasonal fruits.
beverage: The mocktail menu includes the Virgin Mary, California Orange, and Apple Spritzer. Among hot beverages, there are options like freshly brewed cups of coffee (Classic Coffee Blend and Cappuccino) or tea (Assam, Green, Earl Gray and Masala).
Bar menu (on international flights only): Air India’s bar menu now includes several premium brands of spirits as well as an exclusive wine list that includes fine French and Italian wines.
Passengers can choose from a variety of delicious sweets in Air India’s new menu.
Photo credit: Shubham Bhatnagar
Food’s journey from flight kitchen to tray:
The food trail of Air India’s inflight dining begins at the receiving docks of the flight kitchen, in association with the caterer, Ambassador Sky Chef. Here the raw materials are checked for freshness and quality. They are then taken to the process wing, where the raw materials are brought to a ready finish, while their nutritional values are recorded. Non-vegetarian items are processed separately to avoid cross-contamination. The main kitchen is divided into sections: hot kitchen, cold kitchen, bakery, confectionery, etc. Various dishes are cooked according to the recipes in these sections. Then comes the operations wing, where meals are portioned out and set out on trays with cutlery and crockery.
Air India flight kitchen
Photo credit: Shubham Bhatnagar
The food trays are loaded into the food cart and sent to the aircraft after rigorous checking by Air India’s catering and security teams. The entire process involves clearing 12 critical control points identified by Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). All these points are closely monitored by a team of microbiologists to check for any violations. The food that finally reaches the guest on board is monitored at every stage by a dedicated team at the in-house NABL-approved quality assurance and laboratory for quality and random checks.