In a significant policy shift, Air India has announced it will only serve halal food on certain select international routes.
Meals pre-booked as "MOML" (Muslim Meal) will now be considered special meals, and halal certification will apply only to certain sectors, including flights to Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, Medina, and on Hajj flights.
The move follows ongoing debates around halal meals and demands for more inclusive meal options. This shift comes as AI consolidates operations with Vistara, another Tata Group airline, as part of a strategy to streamline services.
In an internal circular issued on November 10, AI issued new guidelines requiring halal-certified meals on Saudi-bound flights. The airline will provide halal certificates for meals on routes to Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, Medina, and all Haj flights. For passengers on other routes, AI’s standard meal options will be available, but only if pre-booked.
The circular also details that pre-booked meals labelled with MOML stickers will be treated as special meals, and a halal certificate will be provided with these meals. This change is said to be part of AI's broader move towards standardising meal services following its merger with Vistara.
The recent requirement to pre-book meals aims to enhance service efficiency, especially as the airline prepares to operate under a unified brand after the merger with Vistara.
Halal is an Arabic word that means lawful or permitted but generally refers to what’s allowed under Islamic law. It’s the opposite of haram, which means unlawful or prohibited.
When it comes to food and drink, halal is similar to the concept of kosher in Judaism. But what’s halal and what’s haram more broadly covers all aspects of life.
For meat to be certified halal, it must be slaughtered in a manner known as dhabiha. That means cutting through the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe to drain all blood from the carcass. In Islam, the consumption of blood is considered haram. An animal must be alive, healthy, and conscious at the time of slaughter for its meat to be considered halal.
Not all meat can be made halal, however, regardless of how it was slaughtered. Animals that are always haram to eat include: Pork and its by-products are strictly forbidden; donkeys, mules, monkeys and horses; fanged animals (cats, dogs, bears, etc); birds of prey; and, reptiles.