Virgin Australia's six-year catering deal with Gate Gourmet
Virgin Australia has recently announced that Gate Gourmet will be its sole service provider for the next six years. Operating a total of 450 domestic and international flights every day, Virgin Australia travellers flying across Asia, Australia and North America will be serviced by Gate Gourmet, the catering brand of gategroup.
gategroup already provides inflight dining and handling on Virgin Australia flights, but this long-term agreement will see a 40% increase in its portfolio and create around 100 jobs in Australia.
The partnership is expected to provide operational and cost benefits to both parties, promoting gategroup’s services and allowing the airline to deliver a better catering experience to customers. By committing to one strategic supplier, it will also improve the efficiency and control of onboard food and drink offerings.
“gategroup’s ongoing relationship with Virgin Australia further strengthens its position as a leading airline caterer in Oceania region, leveraging our commercial and retail innovations. It’s an exciting time for the industry and for pushing boundaries on what inflight meals and services can be,” said Xavier Rossinyol, gategroup chief executive officer.
Virgin Australia’s resident chef, Luke Mangan, will also continue to work alongside gategroup to supply meals to business class customers.
Rob Sharp, group executive Virgin Australia Airlines, was similarly positive about the deal, stating it would “enable us to take our inflight dining experience to new heights”.
This comes after a number of airlines, including Virgin Australia, stopped using Gate Gourmet’s services in November 2017 after Listeria was found in its LAX kitchen facilities. A spokesperson for Gate Gourmet claimed the situation had been resolved and the airline was unclear if it resumed using the supplier on its outbound LAX flights. Despite this scare, Virgin Australia is committed to continuing the partnership over the coming years and Rossinyol claimed the deal marks “an exciting evolution” of their relationship.
“gategroup has been an excellent partner of ours for a number of years and we look forward to working with them more closely to provide the world’s most rewarding travel experience,” Sharp continued.
The partnership will take effect in late June 2018.
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