SATS creates authentic, immersive inflight meal experience with new culinary offerings
Hamburg, 9 April 2025 – Asia’s travel and tourism market is projected to experience significant growth in the coming years, with an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2025 to 20291. Notably, outbound tourism spending by Indian and Southeast Asian tourists is expected to grow at CAGR of 9% and 7%, respectively, from 2023 to 20302. In addition, younger Chinese travellers are exploring long-haul destinations, influenced by social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin.
As travellers increasingly seek curated and immersive experiences, food plays a crucial role in showcasing the diversity and richness of each destination’s culture. SATS, Asia’s leading aviation caterer and the recipient of the Pax International Airline Caterer of the Year award for Asia for six consecutive years, is launching new culinary offerings at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. The new food offerings aim to provide passengers with an authentic, immersive Asian inflight meal experience.
Stanley Goh, CEO of SATS Food Solutions, said, “SATS aviation volume has exceeded pre-COVID levels with global travel recovery. SATS provides food services to over 130 international airlines, nearly half of which are Asian airlines. We have the culinary expertise to produce meals that cater to various cuisines, from Western to Asian. Being an Asia-based aviation caterer, SATS understands the complexity and diversity of Asian cuisines to replicate its authentic taste 30,000 feet in the air. We also tap on the regional culinary expertise of our network of production facilities strategically located across key Asian markets to produce globally popular authentic Asian meals.”
From Trendspotting to Product Innovation
As a solutions partner to its airline customers, SATS has developed a wide range of capabilities to support its customers in proactively meeting changing traveller expectations. The SATS Global Innovation Hub focuses on market and consumer insights, collaborating with customers on innovation initiatives, and designing novel, sustainable service ware, packaging and service solutions. An experienced culinary and product innovation team equipped with deep knowledge of food technology collaborates with SATS research and development centres across its network to transform menu ideas into inflight meals. SATS’ network of production facilities in China, India, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand is strategically located across key Asian markets, enabling SATS to leverage regional culinary expertise to produce meals in different formats, such as cook-chill, ambient, and frozen. To ensure the authentic taste of SATS’ iconic dishes can be consistently replicated across all kitchens in its network, the company has launched a digital platform called the Culinary Knowledge Base to retain knowledge and standardise the preparation and cooking processes of these dishes.
“Our distinctive capability lies not only in offering food but also in providing valuable solutions to our customers. For example, Asian cuisines often include broth or gravy, which can affect food quality or pose challenges during uplift. We offer various solutions that allow the menu to maintain the taste and texture of the original dish. Additionally, we have developed fit-for-purpose sustainable packaging that enables comfort foods to be served onboard,” Goh added.
SATS menu showcase for WTCE 2025 will include:
- Chicken Balti Duo Pies
- Pastel de Nata
- Spring Onion Chicken with Noodles
- Green Curry Vegetables with Rice
- SATS Signature Satay
- Dhal Curry with Basmati Rice
- Payasam
- Vegetable Jalfrezi Lattice
[1] Statista Market Insights, Travel & Tourism – Asia, https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/asia
[2] McKinsey & Company, Now Boarding: Faces, places, and trends shaping tourism in 2024, May 29, 2024, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel/our-insights/now-boarding-faces-places-and-trends-shaping-tourism-in-2024