Dosas and caramel custard may be off in-flight menus in economy cabins as a part of steps initiated by Kochi-headquartered Casino Air Caterers and Flight Services (CAFS) to reduce LPG consumption.
The firm supplies in-flight meals to domestic and foreign airlines at eleven airports across the country. Air India is CAFS’s largest customer and sources meals from a few airports including Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Thus passengers on some Air India flights may get served upma instead of a dosa and mousse cake instead of caramel custard. There will be no change in business and first class menus.
Fried food out, steamed alternatives in
CAFS CEO V B Rajan said the firm initiated an action plan in view of LPG shortage and revised menus for domestic airlines, airport lounges, food courts and Vande Bharat trains.
He said CAFS’s kitchens consume around 75 cylinders of 19 kgs daily and the objective is to reduce LPG consumption by 75 per cent within a week.
“The changes include shifting from fried items to steam based products, replacing cooked salads with garden fresh salads and introducing a centralised menu to minimise the preparation of multiple products. All our customers have understood the situation and have agreed to our proposal,” he said.
No compromise on quality
Rajan said electrically operated hot plates, fryers and tilting pans will be used to manage the crisis without compromising product quality.
Another executive said that there would be no rotation in menus in order to reduce complexity .
Air India did not respond to an email query about the latest changes.
Published on March 17, 2026