Air India, Vistara to serve special Navaratra meals

NEW DELHI: This Navaratra, India’s two full service airlines — Air India and Vistara — will offer special 'vrat' meals to passengers. Navaratra begin this Sunday and culminate in 'Navami' on October 7.

Air India’s domestic passengers will get the option of enjoying 'kutoo and aloo sabzi'. “This special Navaratra meal will comprise of plain yogurt, fruits, makhane dry fruit kheer, French fries, aloo kutoo and chutney prepared using rock salt. It will be offered in addition to our regular meals on domestic flights,” said a spokesman of the divestment-bound Air India.

A Vistara spokesperson said the airline “will serve Navaratra special vegetarian meals (without onion and garlic) on its flights from September 29 to October 7. The special menu includes dishes such as sabudana masala khichdi and fried potato cubes or ajwaini poori and aloo tamatar bhaji for breakfast; pea pulao and doodhi kofta in tomato gravy or aloo ki tehri and paneer lababdar for lunch; ragada pattice or kadhai aloo aasala in parantha with sabudana tikki on flights serving refreshments; jeera rice, dal makhmali and sukha methi matar or jeera rice, dal tadka and khatta meetha kaddu for dinner. Non-vegetarian meals on all flights will remain as per the regular rotation.”

In past few years airlines have started offering festive meals to passengers. “Many people are fasting during Navaratra or have special meals during the nine days. To cater to them, we will have the special meals,” said an AI official. Indian airlines typically see a drop in demand for non-veg meals in north and west India during Navaratra.