Air India on 6 February opened the doors of its first ever flagship ‘Maharaja Lounge’ at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3—its busiest hub for long-haul traffic. The 42,000-square-foot facility, located airside near Gate 10, will welcome First and Business Class guests, Gold and Platinum members of the airline’s Maharaja Club, and eligible Star Alliance elites from 16 February.
The lounge occupies the space formerly used by a common Star Alliance facility and has been completely refitted with quiet pods, shower suites, a live cooking station featuring regional Indian cuisine, work-nooks with high-speed Wi-Fi and a bar curated by Taj-SATS. A dedicated immigration desk for eligible premium passengers is slated to open by March, allowing card-holders to clear formalities within the lounge.
Context: Since its 2022 privatisation, Air India has been racing to match the soft-product standards of Gulf and Southeast Asian competitors. The new lounge is part of a US$400 million customer-experience upgrade that also covers lie-flat seats on all Boeing 787s and a fully digitalised ‘Triumph’ mobility-aid service for elderly travellers.
![Air India unveils flagship ‘Maharaja Lounge’ at Delhi T3, signalling premium push]()
For travellers needing visas ahead of their trip, VisaHQ can take the hassle out of paperwork by providing a streamlined online application process, real-time status updates, and corporate account management—helping passengers focus on enjoying amenities like the new Maharaja Lounge rather than worrying about documentation. Explore services at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For corporate travel managers, the lounge raises Air India’s competitiveness on the high-yield Delhi–London, Delhi–New York and Delhi–Tokyo corridors, potentially justifying a shift in preferred-carrier contracts where Gulf carriers previously dominated. The dedicated immigration channel could shave 15–20 minutes from connection times, making tight 90-minute transits at T3 more realistic.
The airline confirmed that similar flagship lounges are under design in Mumbai and Bengaluru, with openings targeted for Q4 2026.
The lounge occupies the space formerly used by a common Star Alliance facility and has been completely refitted with quiet pods, shower suites, a live cooking station featuring regional Indian cuisine, work-nooks with high-speed Wi-Fi and a bar curated by Taj-SATS. A dedicated immigration desk for eligible premium passengers is slated to open by March, allowing card-holders to clear formalities within the lounge.
Context: Since its 2022 privatisation, Air India has been racing to match the soft-product standards of Gulf and Southeast Asian competitors. The new lounge is part of a US$400 million customer-experience upgrade that also covers lie-flat seats on all Boeing 787s and a fully digitalised ‘Triumph’ mobility-aid service for elderly travellers.
For travellers needing visas ahead of their trip, VisaHQ can take the hassle out of paperwork by providing a streamlined online application process, real-time status updates, and corporate account management—helping passengers focus on enjoying amenities like the new Maharaja Lounge rather than worrying about documentation. Explore services at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For corporate travel managers, the lounge raises Air India’s competitiveness on the high-yield Delhi–London, Delhi–New York and Delhi–Tokyo corridors, potentially justifying a shift in preferred-carrier contracts where Gulf carriers previously dominated. The dedicated immigration channel could shave 15–20 minutes from connection times, making tight 90-minute transits at T3 more realistic.
The airline confirmed that similar flagship lounges are under design in Mumbai and Bengaluru, with openings targeted for Q4 2026.
