Halal meal option to be limited to select routes, Air India announces new changes following merger

NEW DELHI: Air India has announced that from now on, it will serve halal meals only to passengers on selected routes. According to a report by a national media outlet, passengers travelling for Hajj pilgrimage and to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia will be provided with halal food or a Muslim meal (MOML) if pre-booked.

The company had announced its new decision earlier this month through an internal circular. The new decision comes after Tata Group-owned Vistara Airline merged with Air India. The MOML sticker will be placed specifically on top of the meal. Only the "Muslim Meal" category will be provided with a halal certification. Meanwhile, all food items on flights to Saudi sectors will be halal. Air India has informed that meals on flights to Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, Madinah, and on Hajj flights will be provided with halal certification.

An Air India official said the airline has always catered to the needs of its passengers and the new move is part of measures to streamline services. However, with the merger with Vistara, Air India has grown even more. In this situation, the food services need to be made more efficient and therefore booking should be done in advance, the authorities said.