New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS): National carrier Air India has defended its move to stock extra meals for the two-way trip to some foreign destinations to save on catering expenses.

"Any misgiving about stale food is unfounded as food stay fresh in chillers onboard and served piping hot to ensure authentic taste all over our network," the airline tweeted.

"Food uplifted at the country of origin is industry practice favoured by pax for taste, quality and reliability. We are following this practice on our flights up to Europe and not on our longer duration flights to USA."

According to the airline, return catering is done by leading flight kitchens adheres to laid down standards and protocols regarding quality of food.

On January 9, briefing reporters Air India CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola said that the airline has already started to stock extra meals for the entire two-way trip to destinations like Stockholm, Copenhagen, Birmingham and Madrid.

Accordingly, the airline intends to save on catering expenses as domestic vendors cost 3-4 times less than their international counterparts.

Further, the airline plans carry extra meals on the flights to Gulf region.