Bird flu has not just impacted menus on the ground but also forced a tweak in what one could eat in the air. Airlines, including IndiGo and Vistara, have gone all vegetarian to keep the flu at bay.
"As the cases had increased in Delhi, the state government had asked restaurants to avoid chicken and egg preparations. While this was just within the municipal areas, and thus is not applicable to the airlines, Vistara has taken a call to remove chicken and egg preparations, and replace them with vegetarian options," a senior executive said.
While the change will already be visible to passengers flying from Delhi, the new menus will start reflecting on flights from Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune from January 16.
The aviation industry would be hoping that bird flu cases ease quickly enough, as they are keen to avoid any development that impacts "traveling sentiments." While air passenger traffic has continued to recover, since domestic flights resumed in May last year, the numbers are still way below pre-COVID-19 levels. Though numbers grew by 12 percent month-on-month in December, the pace has cooled down.
