Soar with Vegan Options: Airlines Take Flight with Plant-Based Menus

Discerning vegan travelers rejoice! Airlines in the Middle East are increasingly recognizing the demand for delicious and cruelty-free in-flight meals. Let's buckle up and explore some airlines leading the charge in plant-based options:

Emirates Takes Off With An Extensive Vegan Menu

Emirates is soaring high when it comes to vegan choices. They've seen a whopping 40% increase in plant-based meal requests in 2024, prompting them to expand their already impressive vegan menu. In 2023 alone, Emirates served over 300 unique vegan dishes on flights to 140 destinations, a significant jump from 2022's offerings. This translates to over 450,000 satisfied vegan passengers - that's 170,000 more than the year before! Interestingly, demand for vegan meals outpaced passenger growth in some regions, particularly Africa (+4%), Southeast Asia (+5%), and the Middle East (+34%), reflecting a clear shift in dietary preferences.

United Airlines Partners with Impossible Foods

In 2022, United Airlines joined forces with plant-based powerhouse Impossible Foods to enhance their in-flight and lounge menus. This collaboration brought the "Impossible Meat Bowl" to select flights and the Impossible Sausage to specific Polaris Lounges. It's important to note that the Impossible Meat Bowl is currently only available to first-class passengers on long routes.

Discover Airlines responds to customer calls

Discover Airlines, a recently established leisure carrier spun off from Lufthansa, is prioritizing passenger feedback. Their new catering concept emphasizes quality and culinary innovation, including the introduction of free pre-orderable vegan, kosher, and gluten-free meals (48 hours before departure). This initiative, titled "Let's discover the taste of joy," demonstrates their commitment to catering to diverse dietary needs.

Qatar Airways Takes Vegans to Business Class

Award-winning Qatar Airways is setting new standards for business-class dining with their first-ever à la carte vegan menu. This exciting addition caters to the growing demand for plant-based options, allowing passengers to experience a luxurious and sustainable culinary journey. Crafted with fresh, locally and internationally sourced ingredients, these vegan dishes are available to all Business Class passengers flying from Doha and on select inbound flights. Among the menu options are smoked moutabel, tofu and spinach tortellini, and chickpea flour omelets.

This surge in vegan airline options highlights a growing trend: plant-based food is no longer a niche choice but a mainstream culinary experience taking flight across the globe.