DUBAI: Emirates Group subsidiary dnata on Wednesday said it has signed an agreement to acquire Qantas’ catering business, subject to approval from Australia’s competition body.
The air services provider did not reveal the value of the commercial transaction, which will see Qantas’ Q Catering and Snap Fresh subsidiaries and their workers subsumed into the Dubai-based company’s operations.
Q Catering operates four flight kitchens in Australia - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth - while Snap Fresh based in Queensland specializes in providing frozen meals for airlines, healthcare and retail businesses.
“This agreement reflects our confidence in Australia as a market and the ongoing growth potential into the future,” dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President of catering, Robin Padgett said.
“By combining dnata’s network strength and international talent with Qantas’ domestic catering expertise, this will allow us to further grow our 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.
dnata already operates 11 catering facilities in Australia under its catering brand, which recently rebranded from Alpha Flight Services, and employs more than 4,000 people there through its catering, cargo and ground handling businesses.