In a bid to tackle the issue of overpriced food and beverages at airports, the Ministry of Civil Aviation will soon introduce the ‘Udaan Yatri Cafe’ for passengers. The initiative will first be launched at Kolkata Airport to mark the 100th anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and the 8th anniversary of the UDAN scheme, which focuses on regional air connectivity.
On Friday (December 13), Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu unveiled the official logo for the Centenary Celebrations of the airport during a ceremony at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in Delhi.
Speaking at the event, Naidu said, “Passengers were travelling through UDAAN to felicitate them more, we are trying to launch a new cafe ‘Udan Yatri Cafe’ at the Kolkata airport recently that is one of its kind and we feel that this is going to specially cater the passengers who are travelling through the UDAN scheme.”
Udaan Yatri Cafe kiosks
The pilot project will introduce Udaan Yatri Cafe kiosks in the departure area of Kolkata Airport, offering essential refreshments such as tea, coffee, snacks, and water at reasonable prices.
Following its success in Kolkata, the initiative will be expanded to all airports managed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
Naidu further highlighted that the Ministry is working on making air travel more affordable and inclusive, especially as India’s aviation sector continues to grow exponentially, creating more employment opportunities.
To commemorate the centenary of Kolkata’s airport, the three-month-long celebrations will kick off on December 21, featuring a special stamp and coin release.
“We will do three month-long celebrations so that the whole city of Kolkata and the people of Bengal also celebrated along with the airport authority of India. We are celebrating on the 21st December, we want to commemorate by releasing a stamp and a coin also for the 100 years. And along with that, in the last 10 years that the airports that have been built, our Prime Minister has given a special a direction for the airport, saying that we have to show the rich cultural heritage that India carries through the a medium of architecture at the airport,” he added.