dnata prepares festive meals for millions of global airline passengers

Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering and Retail at dnata, elaborated on the menu planning process: “An airline’s menus are planned out once per year... Festive menus are signed off in November.” He added that special meals make up 45% of total meals provided for major carriers.

dnata also offers tailored on-board retail services: “We’ll ensure that passengers of our retail customers also receive the festive experience,” said Robin.

To reduce waste, dnata uses predictive analytics to optimize food loading based on consumption patterns. This approach helps minimize waste and reduces fuel consumption by avoiding excess weight. Sourcing local ingredients is another strategy employed to lower food miles.

Robin concluded by expressing pride in their global clientele's trust: “We take great pride in the confidence our global clients have in us.”

In the first half of the financial year 2024-25, dnata produced over 50 million meals from more than 60 locations worldwide.