- Introduction: Four Seasons Yacht Via Turkmenistan & Saudi Arabia
- Review: Lufthansa Allegris Business Class Boeing 787 (AUS-FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Priority Lounge Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 (FRA)
- Review: Turkmenistan Airlines Business Class Boeing 777 (FRA-ASB)
- Review: Business Lounge Ashgabat Airport, Turkmenistan (ASB)
- Review: Turkmenistan Airlines Business Class Boeing 737 (ASB-DEL)
- Review: Encalm Xenia Lounge Delhi Airport (DEL)
- Review: Air India Maharaja Business Lounge Delhi Airport (DEL)
- Review: Air India Maharaja First Lounge Delhi Airport (DEL)
During my Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, I had a very long layover at Delhi Airport (DEL), prior to my Air India 777 first class flight. This allowed me to check out several lounges, including the new Air India Maharaja Lounge, which opened in early 2026.
In this post, I’d like to review the first class section of the Air India Maharaja Lounge, as in the previous installment I reviewed the business class section. I have to admit, Air India did an incredible job with this lounge, and it ranks among my favorite first class lounges in the world.
The lounge isn’t big at all, but Air India also has a very small first class network, so there’s no need for it to be bigger. The lounge has nice decor, exceptional food and drinks, a private bedroom, luxurious bathrooms and showers, and very attentive service. What a lovely experience all-around!
In this post:
Air India First Lounge Delhi location
The Air India Maharaja Lounge is located in Delhi Airport Terminal 3, which is the terminal for all international departures and arrivals at the airport. When you clear security and before heading to the gates, just head up to the mezzanine level where you see the “Lounges A” signage.
On the upper level you should quickly see the exterior to the Air India Maharaja Lounge.
Inside the entrance to the lounge the friendly agents will scan you in. While the business class section of the lounge is to the left, the first class section of the lounge is to the right, and is typically roped off.
I should mention that if you’re flying Air India first class, you’ll be escorted the entire way, from the time that you arrive at the airport to the time you board your flight. So you don’t actually need to know where anything is, since someone else will take care of that for you.
Air India First Lounge Delhi hours & crowding
The Air India Maharaja Lounge Delhi is open 24/7, as is common for lounges at the airport, given round-the-clock operations.
Rush hour at the airport tends to be very late at night and in the morning, since that’s when a majority of long haul flights depart. That being said, Air India’s first class network is tiny, so this lounge is completely empty for most of the day, and then gets a small number of guests prior to first class departures.
I spent around 12 hours in the lounge, and for around eight of those hours, I was the only guest. At absolute most, there were three other guests in the lounge.
Air India First Lounge Delhi entry requirements
The Air India First Lounge Delhi is open exclusively to Air India international first class passengers. At least for the time being, the lounge doesn’t follow standard Star Alliance lounge access rules, so it’s not open to those flying first class on Star Alliance partner airlines, like Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and SWISS. That’s expected to change eventually, but it’s anyone’s guess when.
Air India First Lounge Delhi layout & seating
The Air India First Lounge Delhi is small. The below two pictures show you the layout of the main part of the lounge, with one picture being taken on each end.
The centerpiece of the lounge is the dining area, which has four tables — two of the tables can accommodate two guests, while two of the tables can accommodate four guests. You’ve gotta appreciate the effort that went into the design, especially with the wall art. Across from the dining seating is the open kitchen area.
Closer to the entrance to the lounge you’ll find the bar area. There’s no high-top seating here, as the intent is just that drinks are served wherever people choose to sit. There is some seating next to the bar, which includes a banquette plus some chairs, and it has a fun vibe.
Then at the far end of the lounge you’ll find a seating area intended more for relaxing. This area consists of two couches and four chairs, arranged around two different tables.
Then along the side of the lounge are a couple of chairs with ottomans, which offer a bit of privacy, thanks to a partial shield.
What a lovely space! Much like the business class section, the lounge has some very relaxing music playing in the background, and also lots of art and fun, subtle design touches. In a bit I’ll talk about the two private rooms in the lounge, plus the bathrooms and showers.
My only complaint with this area of the lounge is that I feel like they could’ve done better with charging ports. For example, there are limited outlets in the dining area, and even the little semi-private seating areas lack conveniently located plugs.
Air India First Lounge Delhi food & drinks
The Air India First Lounge Delhi has very attentive service, and the idea is that guests shouldn’t have to lift a finger, whether they want to eat or drink.
The only thing that comes close to a food or drink display is what’s across from one of the seating areas, where there’s an open fridge with soft drinks, a coffee machine, and tea. I have to say, this whole area is kind of silly, given that staff insist on serving you anyway.
The two open fridges are also super loud, to the point that they almost sound like airplane engines. So during much of my visit they pulled a shield down in front of the fridges, to limit noise.
Beyond that, everything is available from an extensive menu, which can be viewed on a tablet. You can find the Air India First Lounge food menu below.
Then you can find the Air India First Lounge wine selection below.
Next, you can find the Air India First Lounge liquor, beer, cocktail, mocktail, juice, and smoothie selection below.
When I first arrived at the lounge, I had a chai, which was served with some cookies, along with some still water.
Later on, I decided to have a full meal. How beautiful are these table settings?!
The chef came out to take my order, and at his suggestion, I ordered the Maharaja Thali, the signature dish with small portions of the chef’s choice of Indian dishes. There was the choice of veg or non-veg, and I opted for the former. My gosh, this was incredibly tasty, unsurprisingly.
I figured I had to work my way through the cocktail list, in the name of research, of course. 😉
First I had the Herb Land cocktail, described as a basil-inspired drink combining gin, fresh lemon, and basil.
Later on I had the Pancha Taara cocktail, meaning “five stars” in Sanskrit, blending ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, with cognac, representing the five traditional tastes.
Both drinks were phenomenal. Later on I decided to order some tea, which was served off a cute tea trolley. I really appreciate the amount of effort put into creating little memorable service touches, as everything about the guest experience in this lounge feels so deliberate.
The chef also insisted that I try the Indian twist on the cheesecake, which was delicious, as you’d expect.
I did have a very long layover, so later on I had the chaat of the day, and I accompanied that with a negroni. They really push food on you here. Though honestly, if I only have 12 hours in India and don’t even leave the airport, I might as well enjoy some of my favorite cuisine in the world, even if I’ll have to spend a lot of time doing cardio burning it off!
The lounge gets incredibly high marks for food quality and service, as the staff here take pride in what they can offer guests.
Air India First Lounge Delhi private bedroom
The Air India First Lounge Delhi has two private rooms, which are available on a first come, first served basis. The more exciting of the two rooms is a private bedroom, which has a well padded twin bed, along with a desk with a chair, plus a mini-fridge.
I desperately needed a nap during my long layover, so I was delighted to be able to use that, as it’s among the best bedrooms you’ll find in any lounge. There’s no limit to how long each guest can use the room, though I imagine few people have layovers as long as I did.
I got some much needed rest here, though I’d note that there must be an employee entrance of some sort on the other wall of this bedroom, as there was a fair bit of noise. It was nothing that disrupted my sleep (especially since I use a white noise app when I sleep), but if you’re a sensitive sleeper, it’s worth being aware of.
There’s also a second private room available, though it doesn’t have a bed. Instead, it has a desk and a reclining chair. So this can be useful if you just want a private space to relax or doze off, or even if you need to work, have to make a phone call, etc.
Air India First Lounge Delhi bathrooms & showers
The Air India First Lounge Delhi bathrooms are in the back left of the lounge. Don’t walk toward them too quickly, or you might miss the very cool art on the wall, of the window of a former Air India Boeing 747.
Down the hall you’ll find two private bathrooms, which are cleaned after every use, so they’re spotless, with two perfectly folded hand towels available with each use.
The lounge also has two very nice shower suites. There should never be a wait for these, given how few guests have access to the lounge.
Bottom line
The Air India Maharaja Lounge Delhi is phenomenal, including the first class and business class sections. I spent most of my time in the first class section, and I loved the design, how quiet it was, the beautiful dining area, the private bedroom, the excellent bathrooms and showers, and most of all, the service and endless food and drinks.
Admittedly the issue with the Air India First Lounge is that you have to fly Air India first class, which at least as of now isn’t a terribly competitive product. One thing is for sure — Air India’s premium cabin ground experience in Delhi is now truly competitive, and very enjoyable.
What’s your take on the Air India First Lounge Delhi?
I guess it's a great lounge to eat some indian food. But the alcoholic drink selection does not seem very impressive. And the room is rather tiny. It just needs one annoying other passenger there, and your experience is diminished. Also, does not look great for working. The private room with a bed is a plus, but otherwise I am not sure how this can rank among the best in the world.
The alcohol selection is very weak in this first class lounge. Xenia lounge’s alcohol choices are much better. Hennessy VS in a flagship first lounge? Never knew Black Label could be considered premium whiskey. Their alcohol matches those at credit card lounges and definitely not international first class lounges.
Johnnie Walker Black is considered high quality whiskey by a certain generation of Indians who remember having to import it at high cost or otherwise smuggle it in during the “license Raj” days. It’s almost comical how many of my older relatives think of it this way. I’ve even seen a couple of US luxury hotels replace the Macallan or Glenfiddich with Johnnie Walker Black in their top-shelf liquor package for Indian weddings in the hope of making a quick buck.
Hi MPS. Thanks for the clarification but I guess at a flagship first lounge at an international airport it just seems odd to think of Black Label as premium especially in 2026. By the way, do the older generation of Indians still view Hennessy VS as very superb cognac?
Maybe, but I don't know for sure since I don't drink much cognac. My wife introduced me to single malt scotch. I introduced her to bourbon. Ours is a happy marriage. :-)
I have no idea who they’re choosing to be the next James Bond, but I doubt he’ll be drinking “Jack Daniel No 007” either shaken or stirred.
@Lucky - Was it intentional to avoid meat as precaution?
Not to answer for Ben, but my own perspective - I’m very much a carnivore normally, but India is the one country, where when presented with the (in India very typical) veg vs non-veg menu option, I typically go for veg. In the (Hindu) Indian culture, vegetarian cuisine is dominant, and they do it better than anywhere else in the world (in my very subjective opinion) - it is typically the more exciting option. As...
Not to answer for Ben, but my own perspective - I’m very much a carnivore normally, but India is the one country, where when presented with the (in India very typical) veg vs non-veg menu option, I typically go for veg. In the (Hindu) Indian culture, vegetarian cuisine is dominant, and they do it better than anywhere else in the world (in my very subjective opinion) - it is typically the more exciting option. As an aside, I never had any GI issues with meat in good establishments in Delhi (i.e. airport and good hotels), but realize perhaps that’s my own luck.
Vegetarians are only 30% of the population in India.
There are a Ton of awesomedishes which aren’t based on vegetables.
I had the non-veg options at this lounge and they were also phenomenal. There's definitely some places to be concerned for ordering non-veg in India, but this lounge (or xenia) isn't one of them. They do their meat dishes fabulously. To Tom's point, you can't go wrong with veg food in India, absolutely agree.
Agree across the board. In general, I find this to be a fascinating discussion. I've worked in consumer goods/foods in both India and the US, and two things stand out here:
1. India is disproportionately more known for vegetarian food, because it just feels a lot less of a compromise for meat eaters (to Tom's point).
2. Ironically, I find the meat based dishes to be the best hidden gem, just because of how...
Agree across the board. In general, I find this to be a fascinating discussion. I've worked in consumer goods/foods in both India and the US, and two things stand out here:
1. India is disproportionately more known for vegetarian food, because it just feels a lot less of a compromise for meat eaters (to Tom's point).
2. Ironically, I find the meat based dishes to be the best hidden gem, just because of how the spices integrate into that, but of course, that's subjective. (Kct's point). It is also true that a small chunk of Indian population is vegetarian (Dingus's point), just that the meat eaters consume it far less frequently, due to religious reasons, reinforcing the stereotype.
3. A lot of people traveling to India avoid meat due to contamination fears, too, when in fact Indian cooking methods eliminate a lot of the common fears. A lot of the GI issues people face, in fact, remain water borne. I've seen that often times being conflated with food and hence the meat avoidance.
I was just curious which factors were at play here.
Jk I lied, 3 things*.
Too bad you couldn’t get the ex-Etihad 777s, as those are predominantly BOM-based, yet all of AI’s real estate is at DEL. Those are the only planes with a decent First Class product. Given SQ’s daily A380 Suites departures from both Indian cities, it will only be proper for AI to open up this lounge for other Star Alliance passengers in F. Certainly, this looks like one of the best small First Class lounges in...
Too bad you couldn’t get the ex-Etihad 777s, as those are predominantly BOM-based, yet all of AI’s real estate is at DEL. Those are the only planes with a decent First Class product. Given SQ’s daily A380 Suites departures from both Indian cities, it will only be proper for AI to open up this lounge for other Star Alliance passengers in F. Certainly, this looks like one of the best small First Class lounges in the world — and it’s amazing that DEL has two of the world’s best F lounges, both this and the Encalm Xenia lounge!
While that travel with Air India line might indeed be true, but hopefully, the airline through its lounge and other soft touches is trying to show where it aspire to be. Especially because these are relatively easier than being stuck with supply chain issues out of AI's control.
Air India gets a lot of brickbats at home and outside, and especially because of the high expectations set during tenure of Vistara plus the promises...
While that travel with Air India line might indeed be true, but hopefully, the airline through its lounge and other soft touches is trying to show where it aspire to be. Especially because these are relatively easier than being stuck with supply chain issues out of AI's control.
Air India gets a lot of brickbats at home and outside, and especially because of the high expectations set during tenure of Vistara plus the promises post acquisition. Yet, wheels seem to be turning in the right direction, even if slower than what people would have wanted.
Twelve hours is quite a long stay! Looks fantastic though.
This looks like one of the top two nicest first classes lounges ones in the world…. Why wasn’t the title of this article something like “WOW!!! AMAZING Air India First Class Lounge Review !!
:P
Great stuff, Lucky. Impressive space, for sure. GE90 powered refrigerators, I guess. :)
Comment of the day
"Admittedly the issue with the Air India First Lounge is that you have to fly Air India"
Truer words have never been typed on this blog before. Kudos Ben