Case Study - Onboard Catering by Dussmann

The Challenge

Each day, VietJetAir carries tens of thousands of passengers on domestic and international flights. Among other services, the airline aims to provide first-class meals at competitive prices on each flight. Large numbers of standard meals must be prepared, packaged and distributed in accordance with daily changing passenger numbers and the airline’s schedule . For more than five years Dussmann has proved itself a reliable partner.

Business Needs

• Standard preparation and packaging of hundreds of meals each day
• High flexibility with respect to the daily changing number of passengers at short notice
• Punctual delivery
• Compliance with strict hygiene regulations and maintenance of storage temperatures
• Specific kitchen design to facilitate efficient operations

Improvements and Innovation

The Dussmann Service central production kitchen in Ho Chi Minh City is around 8 km from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. At the start of the contract, a separate section was built to accommodate the production line and the equipment needed to conform to the requirements of VietJetAir.

The safety of passengers and staff is a very important to Vietjetair and food safety is a key requirement of catering operations. Dussmann catering employees undergo special training on hygiene and food handling. Risk assessments are made, processes are monitored and recorded in accordance with HACCP principles and all procedures are subject to internal audits and checks by external supervisory authorities.

To provide customers with freshly prepared food, meals are quickly chilled after preparation and packaged on specially designed meal trays ready for transportation. They are delivered in thermally insulated boxes with a core temperature of 2-5 °C for regeneration in the aircraft before service.

Dussmann produces between 1100 to 1300 meals each day. Notification of the exact number of meals required is given by VietJetAir less than two hours before delivery. Dussmann Service plans overnight meal production based on the orders of the previous day and final adjustments are made when the order is received. There are catering staff on standby to facilitate additional production whenever necessary.

Benefits for the Client

• VietJetAir can concentrate on its core business. 
• The catering process is organized by specialists who understand how to produce culinary quality whilst ensuring maximum food safety. 
• The risks associated with meals for fluctuating passenger numbers are taken on by the service provider. 
• By producing excellent meals, Dussmann contributes to the satisfaction of VietJetAir passengers.