India’s leading airline IndiGo on Tuesday said it has stopped serving beverages in cans on board its flights. However, the passengers still have the option to get a complimentary glass of juice or coke on their purchase of any snack.
This news comes after BJP member and former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain that a passenger cannot purchase a soft drink during an IndiGo flight.
“I discovered in mid-air on an Indigo flight that you can’t buy a soft drink. The airline has made it obligatory to also buy a snack, regardless of whether you want it or not. This is coercion…Squeezing fliers through all sorts of extras must stop,” he posted on X.
He even urged Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to “restore the principles le of choice to fliers” and tagged him in the post.
What did IndiGo say?
An airline spokesperson on Tuesday said the airline has discontinued serving beverages in cans. IndiGo revised its services to ensure an efficient, sustainable, and affordable snack experience. They said the initiative is in line with the airline’s commitment to ‘Go Green’, “as it has saved thousands of cans from being thrown away”. The airline did not clarify from when it has discontinued serving beverages in cans on its flights.
However, IndiGo says that passengers can enjoy a complimentary beverage with any snack purchased onboard.
“Previously, our menu included cashews (Rs 200) and a coke (Rs 100), with the total being charged at Rs 300. Our updated menu now offers any munchy paired and a glass of juice or coke at Rs 200 (the beverage is complimentary). Our buy-on-board service is entirely optional for customers to exercise their choice,” it said.
IndiGo’s Green initiative
Last year, in its second ESG report, IndiGo revealed that it achieved around 18% emissions intensity reduction target one year ahead of schedule (target period – FY 2015-16 to FY 2022-23). It added that it was continuously enhancing its measures to safeguard the climate and the natural environment and engaging in numerous social initiatives.
In 2022, IndiGo joined the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) initiative. The initiative aims to blend 10% SAF in all aviation fuel consumption by 2030. The airline received its first aircraft operating on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Airbus on 18th February, 2022.
It also started using environment-friendly equipment such as the Ground-Power Combo units as replacement for the conventional APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) usage on ground, which helped reduce ATF usage by APUs by 80%.