Inside Qatar Airways - How do they make 200,000 Airplane Meals a day?

Sam Chui・2 minutes read

The airline catering center produces around 40,000 fresh omelets and 35,000 to 40,000 meal trays daily, focusing on high-quality ingredients like Norwegian salmon and ensuring strict food safety standards throughout the process. Additionally, the facility emphasizes sanitation with mandatory protective gear for staff and utilizes a biodigester to convert food waste efficiently into water.

Insights

  • The airline catering center prioritizes freshness and quality by producing around 40,000 omelets and 30,000 beef burgers daily, sourcing high-quality ingredients like fresh Norwegian salmon, and ensuring strict quality control through senior chefs overseeing each cooking section and a centralized tasting table.
  • To maintain food safety and hygiene, the staff is required to wear protective gear, including hair nets, and undergo sanitation procedures like passing through an air shower, while food is stored in chillers and transported in temperature-controlled catering trucks, highlighting the meticulous processes in place to ensure passenger satisfaction and food integrity.

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Recent questions

  • What is a biodigester used for?

    A biodigester is a system that processes organic waste, converting it into biogas and nutrient-rich fertilizer. It works by breaking down organic materials, such as food scraps and agricultural waste, through anaerobic digestion, a process that occurs in the absence of oxygen. This not only helps in managing waste effectively but also produces renewable energy in the form of biogas, which can be used for cooking or heating. Additionally, the byproducts of this process can enrich soil, making biodigesters a sustainable solution for waste management and energy production.

  • How are fresh ingredients stored safely?

    Fresh ingredients are stored safely in chillers upon arrival at catering facilities. This practice is crucial for maintaining the quality and safety of food products. Dedicated sections are often designated for different types of ingredients, such as vegetables, meats, and seafood, ensuring that each category is processed, washed, and sanitized properly. By controlling the temperature and environment in which these ingredients are stored, catering centers can prevent spoilage and contamination, thereby ensuring that the food prepared for customers remains fresh and safe to consume.

  • What are the benefits of using fresh ingredients?

    Using fresh ingredients in food preparation offers numerous benefits, including enhanced flavor, improved nutritional value, and better food safety. Fresh ingredients typically contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals compared to processed alternatives, contributing to healthier meals. Additionally, they often provide superior taste and texture, which can significantly enhance the dining experience for customers. In catering, especially for high-end services like first and business class, the emphasis on fresh ingredients reflects a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, making meals more enjoyable and memorable.

  • Why is food safety important in catering?

    Food safety is paramount in catering to prevent foodborne illnesses and ensure the health of consumers. Catering operations must adhere to strict hygiene and sanitation protocols, including proper storage temperatures, regular cleaning, and staff training on safe food handling practices. By maintaining these standards, catering services can minimize the risk of contamination and spoilage, which is especially critical when preparing large quantities of food for flights. Ensuring food safety not only protects customers but also upholds the reputation of the catering service, fostering trust and reliability in their offerings.

  • How are meals prepared for airline passengers?

    Meals for airline passengers are meticulously prepared in specialized catering centers that focus on quality and efficiency. The process typically involves a main hot kitchen where chefs create a variety of dishes, ensuring that each meal meets strict taste and appearance standards. Ingredients are carefully selected and processed, with a rotating omelet-making machine and high-pressure cooking kettles used to produce large volumes of food. Each meal is composed of multiple components, and quality control measures, such as centralized tasting tables, are implemented to guarantee that the final product is both delicious and visually appealing for passengers.

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Summary

00:00

Airline Catering Center's Daily Culinary Operations

  • The airline catering center produces approximately 40,000 omelets daily, utilizing around 8,000 liters of egg yolk, with a focus on fresh omelets for first and business class passengers, avoiding frozen options entirely.
  • Protective gear is mandatory for staff, including hair nets, to prevent hair fall, which is a common complaint among airline customers, and staff must pass through an air shower for sanitation.
  • Ingredients and raw materials are stored in chillers upon arrival, with dedicated sections for vegetable preparation, butchery, and seafood, ensuring proper processing, washing, and sanitization.
  • The main hot kitchen is responsible for preparing meals for business and first class, featuring a rotating omelet-making machine that ensures uniform portion sizes.
  • Daily production includes 30,000 beef burgers, introduced during the last FIFA event, and fresh Norwegian salmon is flown in daily for preparation, emphasizing the use of high-quality ingredients.
  • A high-pressure cooking kettle is used to prepare large volumes of mashed potatoes, polenta, and soups, with five tons of potatoes processed daily for mashed potato production.
  • Each cooking section is overseen by a senior chef who ensures that the taste, appearance, and quality of the food meet strict specifications, with a centralized tasting table for quality control.
  • Approximately 35,000 to 40,000 trays of food are produced daily, with each meal typically consisting of four to five components, including sauces, rice, and proteins.
  • The bakery produces around 26,000 to 28,000 economy croissants and 5,000 premium handmade croissants daily, with chocolate tempering machines operating continuously to create various chocolate products.
  • For food safety, catering trucks maintain a temperature between 8°C and 10°C during loading, and dry ice is used on top of food carts to ensure freshness during transport to the aircraft.

15:12

Innovative Catering Solutions for Freshness and Sustainability

  • The trolley features an air-through system that allows cold air from the onboard daily chiller to circulate, ensuring the freshness and safety of the food being transported, which includes a full trolley load of meals prepared for a flight to Manila. Notable dishes highlighted include Chicken Mash Kool, a traditional Qatari dish made with yellow and white rice and special spices, and Machboos chicken, also seasoned with unique spices and served with rice.
  • The catering center utilizes a biodigester to manage food waste, converting organic matter from the kitchen into water within a time frame of 12 to 16 hours, effectively eliminating all foodstuff and producing water as the end product.
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