Market Trends of India InFlight Catering Industry
Low Cost Carriers are Expected to Show Remarkable Growth During the Forecast Period
There has been significant growth concerning low-cost carriers in India in recent times. The growth in air passenger traffic in India, coupled with various airline companies looking to acquire newer aircraft to increase their fleet size, will be the major factors contributing to growth in the market. The Indian aviation industry has witnessed growth in terms of the number of low-cost carriers. Today, the LCC segment has operators such as Go Air, Spice Jet, AIX Connect, and INDIGO, which account for a major share of the Indian aviation industry.
However, various LCCs in the Indian aviation industry do not include inflight catering to minimize ticket prices. For instance, in November 2021, Air Asia India, now renamed AIX Connect, announced the resumption of inflight food and beverage service across all its routes. Passengers may pre-book their meals from a wide range of vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and vegan hot meals and sandwiches or purchase light bites, hot and cold beverages, and ready-to-eat meals inflight on long-haul flights above 75 minutes. For short-haul flights under 75 minutes, guests may choose from a wide range of snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and sandwiches. The airline offers a wide range of options, including meals specially curated by MasterChefs. Moreover, the airline offers vegan, eggetarian, pescatarian, non-vegetarian, and Jain meal options, as well as other delectable desserts. AirAsia India's inflight meals are catered by TajSATSAir Catering. In addition, each meal is prepared with the highest standards of hygiene and quality. In the current scenario, TajSATS has established itself as India's premier aviation catering company and the first service partner of choice for the world's leading airlines.
Thus, with an increase in the number of air traffic passengers' various low-cost carriers in India, such as Indigo, have started to provide snacks that are not complimentary but can be purchased onboard the aircraft. This shall lead to a positive outlook in the growth of non-complimentary in-flight catering options for the Indian LCCs in the near future.
The Meals Segment is Projected to Grow at a Rapid Pace During the Forecast Period
Indian passengers now prefer rice and meals over bakery and confectionary items, unlike air passengers in European and North American countries. The inflight dinners for most airlines in India include meat, a salad or vegetable, a small roll, and a dessert. During morning flights, a cooked breakfast or lighter continental-style meal may be an option. Moreover, the growth of the vegan and vegetarian population is increasing rapidly in India due to factors such as religion, altruism, environmental concerns, etc. The trend of growing vegetarianism has increased the demand for vegan or vegetarian meals on board Indian aircraft.
Moreover, the growth of health-conscious people has resulted in the growing popularity of gluten-free meals and low-salt meals, as they are becoming the major food offerings under the special meals for airlines. On the other hand, various Indian inflight caterers have now started to provide onboard snacks on airlines. In addition, caterers are also offering vegan, eggetarian, pescatarian, non-vegetarian, and Jain meal options and other delectable desserts as part of their menu.
Airline companies in India are now remapping the way meals are served onboard their aircraft. In April 2023, Air India announced that they had completely remapped the way they serve meals on board the aircraft. Air India, in the present scenario, has partnered with Ambassadors Sky Chef to provide meals onboard their flight. The inflight caterer announced that they will now be focused on serving Indian 'Ghar ka Khana' in the flight with some unique fusion culinary touches, elevating the in-flight dining experience of Air India passengers. In April 2023, the new menu was expanded to its international flights as well.
