Dnata to acquire Qantas’ catering businesses

Air services provider dnata, announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to acquire Qantas’ catering businesses. The agreement is subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Qantas’ catering businesses include wholly-owned subsidiaries Q Catering Limited and Snap Fresh Pty Limited. Q Catering has centres in four Australian ports with its largest airline customer being Qantas. Snap Fresh is a meal production plant, specialising in Australian-made frozen meals for airlines and customers in the health care and food retail industries.

Dnata already operates 11 catering facilities in Australia, employing more than 4,000 people across its catering and other businesses.

In a company statement, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President of catering, Robin Padgett said that the acquisition would allow dnata to further grow their presence and deliver catering excellence to more customers across Australia than ever before. This includes investing in more infrastructure, starting with a new catering facility in Sydney. Under the agreement, dnata will supply catering for Qantas flights for an initial period of ten years, and Qantas will continue to work with key suppliers in menu design and development.

Qantas Domestic CEO, Andrew David, said: “The catering businesses will benefit significantly from dnata’s global footprint, catering expertise, and ability to drive investment and growth for what is a core focus of its operation. Together with dnata, we’ll continue to deliver the in-flight food and beverage experience we know our customers value.”

Dubai-headquartered dnata already operates 11 catering facilities in Australia, employing more than 4,000 people across its catering, cargo and ground handling businesses.