TRENOS SiGINT: New Air India Menu Quietly Puts Plant-Based on Global Display

Analyst: Scott Mathias –November 2025

Signal:

Air India has a new global menu marking a meaningful operational shift: a full integration of vegan, allergen-conscious, and gut-friendly plant-based dishes across cabins. The airline isn’t dabbling, it’s standardising. With a new chef (Sandeep Kalra), refreshed aircraft, and a transformation programme underway, the menu reflects India’s domestic habits and global palate rather than Western plant-based marketing tropes. This is a clear signal of mainstream institutional adoption.

Human Factor:

For Indian and diaspora travellers, this is a cultural reset with home-style, comfort-driven plant-based food feeling familiar, inclusive, and travel-friendly. For global consumers, it reframes “vegan airline food” from afterthought to everyday option, something people can trust on longhaul journeys. It’s practical, not preachy.

TRENOS METRICS SNAPSHOT

Field	Data
Signal	National carrier adopts full-spectrum vegan & special-diet integration
Data Point	Plant-based, gluten-free, allergen-conscious dishes across all cabins
TikTok Views	Low but rising as travel creators highlight menu refresh
Retail Footprint	Airline catering (global routes, high-volume exposure)
Ingredient Format	Whole foods, pulses, vegetables, minimally processed
Product Range	Khichdi, veg mains, stuffed parathas, specialty diet sets
Consumer Segment	Flexitarians, vegans, health-focused travellers, Indian diaspora
Brand Origin	India
Export Status	Global through Air India’s international network
Trend Classification	Institutional adoption / Plant-forward normalisation
System Pressure Point	Airline catering’s shift toward wellness & inclusivity
Momentum	Medium–High (linked to fleet refresh + brand overhaul)
Sentiment	Strongly positive among travellers seeking real food
Where Signal Is Loudest	India, Middle East, UK, North America
Related Links	Air India menu/QSR announcements, aviation catering boards

Long Play Analysis - New Air India Menu Quietly Puts Plant-Based on Global Display

Air India’s move is strategically bigger than it looks despite airline catering being one of the most conservative procurement systems in food. When a legacy carrier standardises plant-based dishes across classes, it signals a shift in institutional buying. If Air India can prove passengers actually choose and enjoy these meals, it unlocks a procurement ripple across Asia Pacific carriers where veg-forward eating is more embedded than Western markets assume.

There’s also a geopolitical dimension. India is one of the few countries where plant-forward diets dominate everyday life. By placing these foods into its global aviation touchpoints, Air India is exporting normalised plant-based eating to millions of travellers who may not associate Indian cuisine with “future food” but will certainly recognise flavour and comfort. It’s a stealth cultural export.

Finally, this positions plant-based meals not as carbon offsets or moral statements but as better travel food completely digestible, recognisable, and aligned with modern health expectations. If the world’s largest demographic flows begin associating long-haul comfort with veg-forward menus, expect other Asian, Middle Eastern, and even European carriers to quietly follow.

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