After Backlash, Pune Airport Adds Marathi To Udaan Café Nameboard

Two days after uproar among people over skipping Marathi on the Udaan Yatri Cafe nameplate, the airport administration has changed the nameplate, and now the board has names in three languages — Marathi, Hindi, and English.

After the launch of the cafe at Pune airport, several social media users had pointed out that the board had skipped mention in Marathi.

Airport Director Santosh Dhoke, speaking to FPJ, said, "The decision was made yesterday after the Airport Authorities became aware of the issue. We have instructed everyone to ensure that all signboards and symbols are displayed in three languages: Marathi, Hindi, and English."

Udaan Cafe

For the uninitiated, starting Monday, April 28, 2025, Pune International Airport started its own ‘Udaan Café’, offering passengers affordable refreshments with tea and water priced at just ₹10, and coffee, samosas, and sweets at ₹20.

Every now and then, we see flyers complaining about exorbitant rates of water, coffee, and tea at airports across the country. However, to ease the burden on flyers, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, has taken a significant step by introducing the ‘Udaan Café’ initiative under the vision of ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’.

The initiative, which has already received an overwhelming response at Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Chennai airports, aims to make air travel more comfortable and pocket-friendly for the common man.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation previously launched the ‘Udaan’ (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme with the goal of making air travel accessible to the average citizen. Although the scheme significantly boosted air travel from smaller, non-metro cities, high food and beverage costs at airports continued to discourage cost-conscious travelers. For many frequent flyers, the inflated prices at terminal food outlets meant skipping meals or refreshments altogether.

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