New Delhi, March 9 (IANS). Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Monday raised the issue of affordable food at airports and urged the government to extend the ‘Udaan Yatri Café’ initiative to all airports in the country.
Raising the issue in the Upper House, Raghav Chadha said air passengers have long complained about the high cost of food at airports. Chadha said that he told that he had raised this issue in Parliament earlier also. However, he appreciated the government’s initiative to launch in-flight passenger cafes at select airports, but stressed that the scheme needs wider implementation and improvements.
Chadha pointed out that India currently has more than 150 airports, but in-flight cafes are available only at 10 to 12 airports. He urged the government to expand this initiative so that affordable food and beverages are available to passengers at every airport across the country.
The MP also stressed the need to set up these cafes in the departure area after check-in and security checks, where passengers wait most of the time to board their flight. According to him, passengers are more likely to buy tea or snacks during this waiting period.
He said that currently, these cafes are located only in the pre-check-in area, before the security check. Ideally, these should be located in the departure area after security so that passengers can easily access them.
Chadha further said that due to limited counters at many places, long queues often form. Limited menu options and capacity restrictions also hinder access for travelers.
Urging the government to address these concerns, the MP requested that flight passenger cafes be set up at all major and minor airports, especially in the check-in and post-security areas.
Chadha said affordable food at airports should not be a luxury. This is a basic facility for passengers. He stressed the need to make air travel more passenger-friendly and accessible.
Let us tell you that Udaan Yatri Café is a government initiative which was started in February 2026. It aims to provide affordable snacks and beverages (tea/water at Rs 10, coffee/snacks at Rs 20) to passengers at Indian airports, to address the problem of high food prices.
–IANS
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