In-Flight Catering Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Meals, Snacks, Beverages, Special Dietary Meals), By Application (Full-Service Airlines, Low-Cost Carriers, Private Aviation) and Regional Forecast to 2033

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IN-FLIGHT CATERING MARKET OVERVIEW

The global In-Flight Catering Market size is USD 18.03 billion in 2025 and is projected to touch USD 33.01 billion in 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.95% during the forecast period.

In-flight catering market is significant to boost the airline branding and the passenger experience using the services of meals, snacks and drinks in the air. The market covers various services such as full course cuisines on the international long journeys to a light snack on short journeys locally. The in-flight catering services are customized according to the length of the flight, the status of the traveller, the local tastes and the airline service pattern. The airline companies tend to collaborate with third party catering firms that would take care of food processing, food packaging as well as timely delivery to maintain freshness and safety. The industry does not neglect the aspect of hygiene and food safety either since this is a sensitive industry when it comes to serving food at high altitude settings.

Increasing air passenger traffic, especially in the emerging markets, and rising passenger demands relate to in-flight catering is an important growth impetus of the in-flight catering market. More bookings in premium classes on the one hand have promoted the need of gourmet styled and personalized food services. Digitized ordering systems and customized meal design is also becoming common among the airlines as a way of increasing efficiency in delivered services. Eco-friendly packaging and minimizing the waste of food are getting significance in the industry to follow sustainable practices. With increased competition in the airline industry, the in-flight catering business is fast developing into a major customer satisfaction and loyalty variable, thus being an absolutely essential aspect of the air travel system.

US TARIFF IMPACT

In-Flight Catering Market Industry had a Negative Effect Due to supply chain disruption

The US tariff has been unprecedented and staggering, with the market experiencing lower-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-2025. The sudden market growth reflected by the rise in CAGR is attributable to the market’s growth and demand.

US tariffs that have been imposed on imported food materials, packaging materials and kitchen equipments have greatly affected in-flight catering market. Most catering firms depend on imported foods, special products and quality packs in ensuring the fulfilment of different culinary demands of international travellers. Tariffs make these imported products expensive and this makes the total cost of operation to catering providers go up. The additional expenses can either cut profits or they are transferred through to airline partners, which can impact on pricing and menu offerings. Moreover, the costs of purchasing imported technologies and equipment concerning large-scale food production and storage might negatively affect the modernization of the catering infrastructure with regard to its efficiency and the safety level. Menu diversity and quality can also be affected by the ripple effect of such tariffs particularly overseas flights where there are certain dietary or cultural food requirement, e.g. kosher food or halal food. Consequently, in-flight food providers are being nudged to re-examine supply chains and to rely more on local food, as well as bargain more competitive rates to survive in such a tariff-sensitive market.

LATEST TRENDS

Rising Demand for High‑Quality, Health-Conscious In‑Flight Meals to Drive Market Growth

The increased interest of the passengers in healthy high-quality meals based on nutritious ingredients and oriented on health is one of the greatest modern trends that influence the in-flight catering market. According to a survey conducted by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), 78% of the passengers have ranked meal freshness including nutritional value high; an increase of 52% in the year 2019. Gen Z and Millennials consumers, especially, buy more and happily pay a premium price on wholesome and balanced options. As a reaction, airlines and caterers have made significant investments in superior health-focused ingredients, and the appropriate funding has also grown by 30% in 2023. Special meal orders have also exploded by 55% since 2021 and vegan options now have gone over 112%. These changes have been encouraging airlines or carriers to collaborate with nutritionists, organic farms, and celebrity chefs and create designer menus, as well as grow the menu personalization. The traveller of this age demands something that cannot just be found in any airline food, but it must provide both source of nutrition and match the lifestyle beliefs. These patterns are causing an upward trend in the innovation of menu design, repertoire of sourcing, and the level of in-flight service provision, bringing the in-flight catering industry to healthier and more personalised eating services.

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IN-FLIGHT CATERING MARKET SEGMENTATION

Based On Types

Based on Type, the In-Flight Catering Market can be categorized into Meals, Snacks, Beverages and Special Dietary Meals.

• Meals: The key of inflight catering particularly in long-haul flights and international flights is full course options by classes and region.

• Snacks: Snacks give an inexpensive alternative to enrich the satisfaction of the passengers; they are commonly supplied on short routes and low-cost flights.

• Beverages: Consists of both alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages which are one of the most important parts of customer service and airline differentiation.

• Special Dietary Meals: The increase in personalization and inclusivity are increasing that segment, with increased demand of vegan and gluten-free meals, and religion-specific meals.

Based On Applications

Based on Application, the In-Flight Catering Market can be categorized into Full-Service Airlines, Low-Cost Carriers and Private Aviation.

• Full-Service Airlines: Principal users of top-quality in-flight meals, providing luxurious meals and 'menu by class and route'.

• Low-Cost Carriers: Pay attention to cheap, ready-made snacks and optional supplementary paid meals to keep the prices of the tickets low and create ancillary revenue.

• Private Aviation: Provides luxury, very individualized, catering services that are commonly ordered as a special order depending on the customer, and on the high levels of service.

MARKET DYNAMICS

Market dynamics include driving and restraining factors, opportunities and challenges stating the market conditions.

Driving Factors

Growth in Global Air Passenger Traffic to Boost the Market

The constant growth in the air passengers all over the world particularly in the emerging markets is one of the key growth catalysts of the In-Flight Catering Market Growth. With the affordability and availability of air transport especially to Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America, more customers are demanding flights in both short-haul and long-haul riding to the airlines. An immediate implication of this increase is in the increased volume of meals and refreshments in flights which are served. The increase in on-board services and route expansions by full-service carriers, especially, to remain competitive in the industry is also contributing to the rise in the demand of good catering. Even the low-cost carriers are beginning to offer tailor-made meal as a source of revenue. With international connections increasing globally and with the rebound in international tourism after the COVID pandemic, there is an increase in the passenger base of airlines and the expectation of these airlines, which is positive news to in-flight catering industry.

Rising Passenger Expectations for Premium and Personalized Meals to Expand the Market

The content of modern air travellers is not only limited to the provision of basic food service, but they demand high quality, customized and health friendly dining services. This is an implementation of a more informed climate regarding nutrition, lifestyle diets including veganism or gluten-free diets and cultural or religious diet requirements. In response, airlines are enhancing catering services and providing the passengers with gourmet food and collaborating with celebrities-chefs and nutritionists with the aims of providing an augmented meal experience. Special meals (diets, allergies, and so on.) are being offered as well as pre-ordered meals, especially in business and first-class cabins. Economy class too is witnessing value added offers so as to promote customer satisfaction and airline brand loyalty. As part of an increasing need of customers to be alert of the quality of food and getting it customized, in-flight catering services are being challenged to become innovative in their menu planning, food supply, and service. EU trends regarding changing passenger expectations means that airline companies that direct funds to premium and personal catering offering are in a better position to improve consumer pleasure and enjoy competitive advantage in the airline industry.

Restraining Factor

High Operational and Compliance Costs to Potentially Slow Down the Market Growth

Operation cost and strict compliance to regulations are one of the major restraining factors in the in-flight catering market. Strict food safety, hygiene and aviation security requirements should be met by catering providers that compel a large investment (in facilities, equipment, and training of personnel). Also, freshness, variety and quality of meal served under stringent storage and temperature conditions complicate operations and increase cost. Volatility with fuels, cost of labour and regular updating of the menu also weighs down on profits. Low-cost carriers are inclined to find cost effective solutions and this requires caterers to provide high quality work at low margins. New entrants may be restricted by these financial and regulatory barriers as well as creativity may be jeopardized and also the overall scalability of businesses of mid-sized catering-businesses that serve competitive air markets.        

Growing Demand in Emerging Markets to create Opportunity for the Product in the Market

Opportunity

There is another major opportunity to develop the market related to in-flight catering in the emerging economies, especially in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Increasing demand of air travel in these regions is caused by fast urbanization, high disposable incomes, and growing middle-class populations. Governments are spending much in airport facilities and new airline route development, which has opened up a high-growth environment of the expansion of catering services. The number of the passengers that use air transport continues to increase; thus, there is increased demand of quality and reliable meals provided on board.

Preformed regional tastes also present the openings to adopt regionalized catering models along with the cultural inclinations. As the global airlines enhance frequency connectivity to and out of the emerging regions there is a potential that catering providers can collaborate with these carriers and provide region specific menus. This market excitement, which is accompanied with un-exploited customer bases and government policies, makes emerging markets a major growth enabler of the world In-Flight Catering Market Share.

Managing Food Quality and Safety at Scale could be a Potential Challenge for Consumers

Challenge

This is also one of the major issues in the in-flight catering market to maintain quality and safety of food even under large volumes. The process of meals preparation, packaging, transportation, and storage in order to be kept fresh are to be conducted with strict conditions in order to meet the hygiene needs. It has complicated logistics of large scale meal production and in particular for international flights that may incorporate a wide range of diet requirements, unless handled exactly, errors, delay or risks of contamination may occur.

Moreover, different weather conditions, airport infrastructure capacity, and lack of space in the on-board storage complexify it. Other events to which in-flight caterers have to adjust themselves are last-minute flight cancellations, variations in the number of passengers or special meal requests without creating food waste. Striking a balance between cost and customer satisfaction as well as regulatory requirements is quite challenging more so as passengers demands of fresh and high quality meals have been increasing. The key to challenging these difficulties is an investment in higher kitchen technology, real-time IO systems and high-quality control.

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IN-FLIGHT CATERING MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

• North America

The North America region remains a dominant operator in the in-flight catering industry due to developed airline sector, large number of air traffic, and focus on quality customer services. Far-reaching and comprehensive air companies that fly in and out of the US and Canada spent a lot of resources to improve onboard services, such as quality meal and specially tailored food. Also, since there is an increased necessitated business and first-class traffic particularly on trans-continental flights, the airlines have partnered with gourmet cooks and food caterers. There is developed logistics and technology at the disposal of the region, which makes the organization of meals convenient and delivery possible. Inching towards stiff competition amongst airlines, they make sure that they continue to enjoy the loyalty of the clients and to offer a comparative advantage in terms of service provision. United States In-Flight Catering Market has emerged as a major force in pushing forth innovation and quality testing in terms of in-flight meals.

• Europe

Europe is at the forefront in the segment of in-flight catering marketplace because its network is dense offering transport between long and short distances, cultural diversity and its heavy presence of tourism market. Multinational airlines in Europe have diverse and heterogeneous international customers whose dietary needs differ; thus, they require eclectic meals of high quality. There is also a great culture of European carriers who are very concerned about being sustainable whereby their packaging is eco-friendly and even the ingredient used in the in-flight meal is sourced locally. Key destinations such as London, Frankfurt and Paris necessitate the use of large and efficient catering services since there are a lot of flight activities involved. Moreover, there are rising demand among the European travellers of healthier and gourmet options of meals, compelling the airlines to become innovative. Food safety and quality covered under the laws by the government also help to maintain quality standards in catering. The combination of these aspects makes Europe one of the leading destinations in the terms of development and innovation in the international in-flight catering industry.

• Asia

In-flight catering market in Asia is rapidly turning out to be one of the very powerful centres, which is due to the colossal growth of commercial aviation in China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. As a result of soaring incomes and emergence of the middle level inhabitants, passengers are increasing in number and thus causing a demand in the flight services of food. Travellers in Asia usually demand locally styled foods, which stimulates the needs of regional catering services. A large number of full service carriers and an increase within international routes help the market of normal and premium in-flight meals to flourish. Also, the preparations of the airport infrastructure and airport fleets on a large scale all over Asia contribute toward advancement in state-of-the-art catering facilities. There are also the innovations such as AI kitchen management, auto packaging system to tackle the large-scale processes. Asia with a youthful tech-savvy population and an aviation industry growing at a rapid rate, is going to assume the key position to redefine the future of the in-flight catering sector.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Key Industry Players Shaping the Market through Innovation and Market Expansion

This market is fuelled by a number of top players dealing with in-flight  catering services in airlines across the world that provide end to end services in terms of quality, efficiency and adherence to the international standards. The larger entrants are gategroup, one of the largest worldwide providers, known by its vast network of cooperation with full-service air carriers and by its achievements in onboard catering. LSG Sky Chefs, a unit of the Lufthansa group, is dominant in Europe and North America with its extensive variety of purchasing, distribution, and logistic services. dnata, established in the UAE, supports many international airlines, mostly in the Middle East, Asia and Africa regions. SATS Ltd. located in Singapore is a large caterer in the Asia-Pacific region whose cuisine is the Asian foods and they cater to major airlines. Other prominent market players are Newrest Group, Flying Food Group and Do & Co that offer personalized meal options, special diet services and menus of high-flight quality. These companies have also intensified strategies in the use of sustainable models, the use of smart kitchen and menu customization in order to satisfy the changing demands of airlines and passengers all over the world.

List Of Top In-Flight Catering Companies

• LSG Sky Chefs (Germany)
• gategroup (Switzerland)
• SATS Ltd. (Singapore)
• dnata (UAE)
• Newrest (France)
• Flying Food Group (U.S.)
• Servair (France)
• Emirates Flight Catering (UAE)
• Journey Group PLC (U.K.)
• DO & CO Aktiengesellschaft (Austria)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

May 2025: United Airlines moves away of using Gate Gourmet as its in-flight caterer and replaces it with LSG Sky Chefs at San Francisco International Airport. The transfer experienced logistical delays such as large number of flights without meals, drinks and even ice, which were some of the risks involved in the change of suppliers.

REPORT COVERAGE

In-flight catering market has come to represent some critical element of airline service strategies, which have been used in improving the experience of passengers and market differentiation. With air travel around the world starting to recover and expand, especially in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North America, the need is increasing by demand to satisfy their passengers with quality, safe and even personalized on-board meals. Air carriers are putting more money in food services which accommodate various dietary needs and health-conscious choices, as well as cultural conventions. New technologies, including the application of IoT to the kitchen facilities and artificial intelligence meal planning, are changing the way in-flight meals are produced in terms of efficiency and customization. Besides, the increasing attention toward sustainability including the use of environmentally friendly packaging and waste minimization activities will influence the future of this market.

Some challenges in the market which are associated with this growth include the cost of doing business, regulatory compliance and creating intricate logistics. To achieve food quality and safety at scale catering providers need to ensure food quality and safety, especially when passenger demands are increasing. Yet, the emerging economies are increasing and leading to a high demand, and the developing desire of travels in the higher classes opens new opportunities of expansion and innovation. Industrial alliances, electronic ordering and new facility wares are also enhancing market capacities. In-flight catering will become a key differentiator moving forward as aviation industry in its evolving form will continue to achieve passenger satisfaction levels, airline competitiveness and enhanced services levels.