A new in-flight catering contractor will take over the airline’s in-flight catering. The 10-year contract, which will commence on 1st April 2007, is expected to yield visible benefits and a better quality product to Air Malta’s customers in terms of catering services on the airline’s flights.

The tender, awarded to Airest Malta Ltd, follows similar initiatives of non-core activities including Information Technology, Aircraft Cleaning, In-flight Entertainment and the consolidation of the Call Centre function to Malta.

Airest will be taking care of in-flight catering, bars and commissary services. This initiative, which integrates four main functions under one contract, was until now, performed by different operators. Airest will be supplying Air Malta with around 1.5 million meals annually, sourcing, storage and issuance of in-flight equipment, catering items, bar items and dry goods, packing of in-flight items and transportation to/from aircraft at Malta International Airport.

This award follows a competitive process whereby three entities competed for this proposal. Each was partnered by a foreign operator specialising in this line of business. At the end, agreement was reached with the Airest Malta Ltd which was set up and registered in Malta purposely for this bidding process.

Commenting on this adjudication Mr Wilfred Borg, Chief Officer Subsidiaries, who was the project driver for Air Malta, said, Airest, is Austria’s market leader in the airline catering and in-flight service business with an international clientele including renowned carriers like Austrian Airlines. Air Malta’s in-flight catering award closely follows the recent announced expansion of Airest in Ljubljana and Bratislava. Airest Malta, who will be employing approximately 70 employees, have also contractually bound themselves to offer full time employment on an indefinite contract basis to all 27 employees currently employed with Airport Services Ltd, an Air Malta subsidiary, which currently handles the packing of in-flight bar items and dry goods.

This project, which was considered one of major importance to Air Malta, will increase efficiency and will therefore result in a significantly higher level of quality of services to our clients. The efficiencies which we have managed to obtain in streamlining the various process involved should result in significant annual cost reductions for Air Malta, added Borg.