Popeyes has opened its first airport restaurant in India at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, marking a significant new phase in the Louisiana-style fried chicken chain’s India expansion. Located at Terminal 2, the outlet was launched in partnership with AMRL, a leading Indian airport food and beverage operator, and follows the brand’s 2025 Mumbai city entry.
The new Popeyes outlet sits inside Terminal 2, one of India’s busiest and most premium airport gateways. The launch is a deliberate move by master franchisee Jubilant FoodWorks to take the brand beyond the high street and into what airport operators call “high-intent, high-frequency” consumer footfall.
“Airports are no longer just transit points; they are where brands are discovered.”
That was the framing from Sameer Khetarpal, chief executive of Jubilant FoodWorks, who has been steadily building out Popeyes India since the master franchise partnership was announced in 2022.
The Mumbai T2 outlet will serve Popeyes’ standard international menu, anchored by the chain’s signature Louisiana-style fried chicken, alongside the biscuits, sandwiches and sides that have driven the brand’s global success. The airport format is designed for speed of service to travellers, while still delivering the full brand experience.
Jubilant FoodWorks is one of India’s largest quick-service restaurant operators, running Domino’s Pizza and Dunkin’ alongside Popeyes. The company entered a master franchise agreement with Popeyes owner Restaurant Brands International in January 2022 and has since built out a network concentrated in top-tier cities.
India’s airport food and beverage market is one of the fastest-growing retail channels in the country, driven by rising domestic air travel and a boom in premium terminal builds. For global QSR brands, an airport unit doubles as a brand-awareness billboard for millions of high-income travellers — particularly powerful when the brand is still building nationwide recognition.
The company has signalled that airport-led expansion will be a bigger part of the Popeyes India roadmap. As Jubilant FoodWorks CEO Sameer Khetarpal put it, the Mumbai T2 opening is a “deliberate move to scale the brand in premium travel-led locations” — suggesting further airport wins in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad could follow.
For AMRL, the partnership is a chance to add a globally recognised QSR brand to its terminal portfolio. As an AMRL spokesperson noted, the collaboration reflects a broader goal of “strengthening India’s airport F&B ecosystem through meaningful partnerships” with global brands. Popeyes joins a growing lineup of international QSR names competing for terminal real estate as more travellers pass through Indian airports each year.
For franchise investors watching India, the Popeyes airport launch is another signal: master franchisees are moving beyond street-front expansion and now competing hard for the country’s premium travel and mall channels.
Source: Yahoo / Verdict Food Service — Popeyes opens first India airport outlet in Mumbai
