Air India Navratri Special Menu 2026: Meals, Dates, Flights and Lounge Options

Air India has introduced a Navratri special menu for 2026 to bring traditional festive food to passengers during their journeys. The airline is offering fasting-friendly meals, Indian snacks and desserts on select flights departing from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Special food options are also available at participating airport lounges in Delhi and Mumbai. The airline announced the initiative on October 12, 2026, to help passengers enjoy traditional Indian flavours while travelling during the festival.

Air India Navratri Special Menu 2026: Key Details

Air India’s festive meal service covers breakfast, refreshments, lunch and dinner on selected flights. The airline has also introduced special food options at participating airport lounges. Here are the key details.

The special meals are not available on every Air India flight. Passengers should confirm the availability of Navratri food options before travelling.

What Is Included in the Air India Navratri Inflight Menu?

Air India has created different Navratri meal options for breakfast, refreshments, lunch and dinner. The menu combines traditional fasting dishes with familiar Indian flavours.

Navratri Special Breakfast Menu

• Sabudana Khichdi: A popular dish made with tapioca pearls, served with crispy potato salli.
• Vratwale Shahi Aloo: A potato dish prepared with fasting-friendly ingredients.
• Singhade ki Poori: A traditional poori made using water chestnut flour.
• Fresh fruits and plain dahi: Light options served alongside the main dishes.

Navratri Snacks and Refreshments

Air India has also introduced special snacks for passengers during inflight refreshment service. The Navratri refreshment menu includes Sabudana Wada, Garam Aloo Chaat prepared with sendha namak and mint chutney, and Vratwala Paneer Tikka made with curd, cashew and aromatic spices. Passengers can also enjoy Sabudana Fruit Kheer and fresh fruit as part of the refreshment service.

Navratri Special Lunch and Dinner Menu

• Vratwala Shahi Paneer: A rich paneer dish prepared for the festive menu.
• Vratwali Kaddu Ki Subzi: A traditional pumpkin dish.
• Samak Jeera Rice: A dish made using barnyard millet, which is often eaten during Navratri fasting.
• Singhade ki Poori: Water chestnut flour poori served with the main meal.
• Plain dahi and fresh fruit: Accompaniments to the meal.
• Sabudana Fruit Kheer: A sweet dish served as dessert.

How Does Air India Prepare Its Navratri Fasting Meals?

Air India has designed its Navratri special meals around ingredients commonly used during Hindu fasting traditions. According to the airline, the special onboard meals use shuddh ghee (pure clarified butter) and sendha namak (rock salt). The menu also features familiar fasting ingredients such as sabudana, singhade (water chestnut) flour and samak rice.

Some people observing Navratri avoid wheat, regular rice and table salt during fasting. Instead, they choose ingredients such as sabudana, buckwheat, water chestnut flour and barnyard millet. However, fasting customs differ between families and regions. Passengers who follow strict fasting rules should check the ingredients with the airline or lounge staff before eating.

Special Navratri Food at Delhi Airport’s Maharaja Lounge

Air India has introduced a special Navratri menu at its Maharaja Lounge at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3, along with a dedicated festive food cart. Passengers visiting the lounge can enjoy:

• Sabudana Khichdi
• Farali Misal
• Farali Kachori
• Shakarkandi ki Tikki
• Sabudana Vada
• Rajgira-based specialities
• Makhana Kheer (available on request)

Navratri Special Desserts at Participating Air India Lounges

Air India has introduced a dessert collection inspired by the traditional colours associated with Navratri. The dessert menu features:

• Carrot Mawa Roll
• Orange Semolina Cake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Red Velvet Brownies
• Blueberry Cheesecake
• Mango Cheesecake
• Kiwi Mousse
• Purple Yam Swiss Rolls

Traditional Navratri Farsaan and Sweets

Along with desserts, Air India is offering several traditional Indian snacks. These include banana chips, rajgeera ladoo, peanut ladoo, rajgeera chikki, banana wafers and peanut chikki. These snacks add familiar festive flavours to the lounge menu.

However, not every sweet or snack is necessarily suitable for every fasting practice. Passengers should check the ingredients if they follow specific Navratri food restrictions.

Why Is Air India’s Navratri Special Menu Important for Travellers?

Navratri is an important Hindu festival during which many devotees worship Goddess Durga and follow special fasting traditions. During this period, people who observe fasting often avoid certain everyday food ingredients and choose traditional vrat dishes instead.

Travelling during Navratri can make it difficult for passengers to find meals that match their dietary customs, particularly during long journeys. Air India’s special festive menu offers more food choices to passengers who want to follow their Navratri traditions while travelling.

The initiative also highlights regional Indian dishes and brings traditional festive food into airline and airport dining services.

Air India’s Navratri Special Menu 2026 brings festive flavours to flights and airport lounges, making travel more enjoyable during the celebrations. Planning your next international journey? Explore Indian Eagle deals to find competitive fares on international flights.