Press Release: Qatar Airways, gategroup partner to elevate inflight dining

Qatar Airways and gategroup today announced a new catering partnership to elevate inflight dining, structured through a Business Management Agreement that will see collaboration on passenger dining experiences, sourcing and procurement, healthy eating, as well as sustainability. Qatar Airways’ commitment to global aviation excellence will be reinforced by gategroup’s expertise in menu design, culinary concepts and operational excellence. 

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “This partnership with gategroup will amplify the Qatar Airways brand by delivering refined culinary experiences for our guests, inflight and on the ground in our world class lounges at Hamad International Airport. gategroup brings an exciting new beginning to an already world class standard of catering by Qatar Airways. Collectively  our innovation and operational excellence will set a new standard for Inflight dining.” 

Chief Executive Officer of gategroup Mr Christoph Schmitz said: “We are genuinely honored to walk this path alongside Qatar Airways. It is a journey of discovery, growth, and immense potential, and we firmly believe in the transformative power of collaboration, where two companies come together with shared visions and values to craft something truly outstanding.” 

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer and Chief Executive Officer of gategroup Mr Christoph Schmitz. Image: gategroup

gategroup’s culinary team – that will be based in Doha – will contribute to the development of a dedicated culinary studio for Qatar Airways, that facilitates innovation, co-creation and efficient menu design. The new culinary creations will focus on high quality ingredients, health and nutrition, incorporating local produce with a view to sustainable sourcing, authenticity and supporting local businesses.  

The elevation of culinary quality will be underpinned by robust processes around menu development, efficiency in production and systematic monitoring of food quality, taste and appearance. Through this collaboration, we will explore additional revenue streams and optimize operational and commercial efficiencies.  

This partnership conveys an exciting blend of culinary creativity and best in-class operations that will mark the next era of Qatar Airways inflight offering. New innovative concepts for the world’s 5-star airline. 

About gategroup 

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents.

About Qatar Airways 

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways won the ‘World’s Best Business Class’ for the tenth time at the 2023 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence, also taking home, Best Airline in the Middle East, World’s Best Business Class Lounge and World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining at the prestigious awards held during the 2023 Paris Air Show. Qatar Airways is an unprecedented seven-time winner of the “World’s Best Airline” voted by Skytrax (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022). 

Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 170 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as the ‘World’s Best Airport’ in 2021 and 2022 consecutively. This year, Hamad International Airport has been ranked by Skytrax as the second-best airport in the world, and received the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ accolade for the ninth time in a row, as well as ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’.

All images credited to gategroup