Dubai-based Dnata is acquiring Qantas’ catering businesses in hopes of growing its presence and servicing more customers across Australia.
Qantas’ catering businesses include Q Catering – with centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – and Snap Fresh, a meal production plant in Queensland that specialises in Australian-made frozen meals for airlines and customers in the healthcare and food retail industries.
Commenting on the agreement, Robin Padgett, Dnata’s divisional senior vice president of catering, said: “This agreement reflects our confidence in Australia as a market and the ongoing growth potential into the future.”
With the acquisition, Padgett said Dnata plans to invest in more infrastructure, starting with a new catering facility in Sydney.
Dnata will supply catering for Qantas flights for an initial period of 10 years, and Qantas will continue to work with key suppliers in menu design and development.
Qantas domestic CEO, Andrew David, added: “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.”
Dnata, part of Emirates Group, already operates 11 catering facilities in Australia, currently trading under the Dnata catering brand (recently rebranded from Alpha Flight Services). The company employs more than 4,000 people in Australia across its catering, cargo and ground handling businesses.
The agreement is subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
