Inflight Catering Market Analysis & Forecast: 2025-2032

Inflight Catering Market is estimated to be valued at USD 27.6 Bn in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 46.42 Bn in 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.71% from 2025 to 2032.

Inflight or airline catering is a service provided by companies during air travel and at the airports. Catering becomes a very critical part of the business, especially for Network Carriers serving long distances. Meal design and meal planning are important processes of catering services. According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), catering planning and catering operations are important areas of activities of inflight services. Various organizations and groups are formed in order to regulate and organize inflight-catering activities. For instance, Inflight Catering Work Group was established in 2004, to bring together airlines and caterers in order to discuss issues of mutual concern and of special interest of the catering community, identify potential areas of cooperation, as well as implement concrete solutions. Moreover, Inflight RFID Task Force, focuses on catering trolley tracking and its maintenance history. Both these groups work with IATA.

Drivers

Major market drivers

Major market drivers of the in-flight catering service market are the rise in offering customized and organic meals to the travelers in flight. The best thing is that the meals are typically ready on the ground in catering offices near the air terminal and are then shipped to the airplane and put in fridges for airline stewards to warm and serve ready. The food providers are more similar to the agents that help carriers mass-produce many dinners daily. The aircraft's catering group is generally answerable for the menu plan, offering quality food to the travelers.

The aircraft targets travelers somewhere in the range of eighteen and thirty-five years of age. Travelers are offered many advantages, which just could make a difference. One of the advantages in this market is the supreme food. The menu contains predominantly natural food varieties that go along with specialty brews. Due to its effective drivers, the market is expected to develop at an effective rate in the forecast period.

Significant market opportunity

The significant opportunity in this in-flight catering market is the advancement in the technologies of the food and beverages industries like the travelers could quickly order their food through online mode. The process of serving a pre-packed meal is also a great benefit to the Global in-flight catering market for its effective development. These significant market opportunities are offering the market a growth option in the future estimated period.

Figure 1. Global Inflight Catering Market Value Share (%), By Region, 2025

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Market Restraints

An increase in the cost of the in-flight food  makes it difficult for the in-flight catering service market to work properly. Hence this high cost is also hampering the effective market growth to a great extent in the forecasted period.

Transportation of food and low period of transported foods are increasing the food wastage in this industry. A portion of these food wastage elements likely set challenges in developing the in-flight catering market. It is important to tackle these market challenges effectively to enhance the growth of the particular market

Market Trends

The widespread adoption of inflight catering across the aviation industry on account of the increasing competition amongst the airlines represents one of the key factors driving the market growth. In line with this, the need for serving enhanced onboard dining experience is contributing to the market growth. This is further supported by the implementation of high-level services, including meal pre-selection, mixed buy order, and complimentary catering options for fulfilling individual passenger requirements and complying with the hybrid operational scenarios at lower prices.

Significant technological advancements, along with rising automation in food and beverage (F&B) industry, such as the utilization of tablets and mobile devices for ordering meals, thus ensuring the smooth functioning and management of catering services are acting as other major growth-inducing factors. Besides this, favorable initiatives being undertaken by governments of various countries for elevating the inflight catering standards by ensuring food safety, hygiene and sanitization, especially during the ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are further creating a positive outlook for the market growth. The market is also driven by rising consumer expenditure capacities, steadily increasing number of air travelers, and the introduction of premium meal plans by airline companies and catering services.

Figure 2. Global Inflight Catering Market value Share (%), By Aircraft Class, 2025

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Global Inflight Catering Market- Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

Covid-19 pandemic largely affected the inflight catering market due to lockdown all over the globe, flights was stopped operating in lockdown for long period of time. After lockdown new protocols were imposed on inflight food practices such as food safety, cleaning, sanitizing, food quality. Pandemic has brought new dynamics to commercial professional kitchen.

Recent Developments

• In August 2022, Dnata extended its partnership with GOL Airlines, an air and travel service provider, to strengthen the partnership and offer customers the best catering experience
• In June 2022, LSG Sky Chefs signed a three-year contract with United Parcel Service to expand its services and business to cater to the needs of customers
• In March 2022, Newrest announced that the company began providing hot meal services on two-class flights of Air Transat from various countries across Europe like Belgium, England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

Competitive Section

Major players operating in the global inflight catering market include SATS ltd., Gate Gourmet, LSG Sky Chefs, DO & CO Aktiengesellschaft, NewrestInternational Group, Emirates Flight Catering, Flying Food Group, Journey Group plc, and DubaiNational Air Transport Association.