After Merger With Vistara, Air India To Serve Halal Meals On Only Select Routes; Details Inside

After Air India’s merger with Vistara, another Tata-owned airline, a change in meal services has been announced to the public. Halal meals labelled as ‘Muslim meals’ (MOML) will henceforth be served only on certain select routes. This shift is part of Air India’s (AI) larger goal to streamline operations.

Air India To Serve Halal Meals On Select Routes Like Saudi Arabia

An article on Mint highlights an internal circular issued by AI on November 10. The new guidelines mandate passengers to pre-book their meals. Passengers flying with Air India on routes like Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina, Dammam and Haj will be served halal meals. Passengers travelling on other routes will be served Air India’s standard meal options. But they need to be pre-booked.

The circular also informs passengers that pre-booked meals labelled with MOML labels will be treated as special meals. And a halal certificate will be offered on these meals. This is part of Air India’s broader move towards standardising meal services after its merger with Vistara.

A senior AI official stated to TOI that the airline has always offered meal choices to customers for their convenience. Due to its larger size and scale, AI has now streamlined its meal service. So, meals need to now be pre-booked by passengers.

Also Read: Goodbye, Vistara! Airline To Take To The Skies For The Last Time Today Before Air India Merger

Passengers Need To Pre-Book Their Meals

Prior to its merger with Vistara, Air India didn’t require its passengers to pre-book meals. The airline wasn’t insistent on it. But the recent meal service mandate helps the airline to increase its efficiency especially as it gears up to operate as a unified brand post the merger. This policy change aims to accommodate the diverse dietary preferences of the airline’s passenger base.

The decision follows several years of campaigns against the mandatory provision of halal meals, criticised as insensitive to the religious preferences of Sikh and Hindu passengers. The new meal policy by Air India allows non-halal non-vegetarian options. It caters to the demand for alternative meals among different faith groups. Air India now permits MOML pre-booking to serve halal meals to only those passengers who are specifically requesting it.

Also Read: Booked A Vistara Flight And Are Confused About Post-Merger Changes? Here’s What To Expect From Air India