Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, along with minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol, on Monday inaugurated the country’s fifth UDAN Yatri Cafe at Biju Patnaik International Airport.
The UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) cafes are aimed at offering hygienic, pocket-friendly refreshments to passengers. “Earlier people avoided buying food at airports because of the high prices. We conceptualised the UDAN Yatri Cafes to change that. Snacks and sweets now start at just ₹20, making air travel more affordable and dignified,” Naidu said.
He added that coffee and samosas are available for ₹20 each and even coconut laddus are priced the same. “I enquired with passengers if these snacks were cheaper than at railway stations,” he said. Similar cafes are already running at Calcutta, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad airports.
Naidu also announced plans for developing a third terminal at Biju Patnaik International Airport in view of the rising passenger load, and praised the airport’s unique “Flybrary” — a corner where travellers can pick up, donate or return books.
“Bhubaneswar airport is the only one in the country with a Flybrary. We are expanding this initiative to other airports as well,” he posted on X.
The Union minister also inaugurated a children’s play arena at the airport, saying Indian airports are being developed as “vibrant centres of passenger experience” beyond being just transit hubs.