dnata dishes up specially tailored menus for sports teams and VIP charters throughout USA

dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, specially crafted over 15,000 meals for private jet customers travelling across the USA and overseas, throughout 2024. These varied from regional delicacies and desserts for VIP charters, to specially tailored athletic portions for sports teams.

dnata operates kitchens in Boston, New York, Nashville, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, providing inflight catering and retail services to over 100 airports across the country. The US is one of the company’s largest markets for corporate jet services, with demand for VIP flight services continuing to grow. In addition, dnata works closely with a network of best-in-market vendors, managing the catering for customers in cities without its kitchens.

Fuelling sports teams across the USA

dnata caters for significant numbers of professional sports teams travelling the country, creating custom athletic portions for their dedicated charter flights. These meals, such as the popular shrimp cocktail platters, usually include 10-12oz (285-340 grams) of protein to help the teams prepare for or recover from their games. Meanwhile, requests by corporate jet customers on shorter journeys typically include fruit, cheese and seafood platters, as well as finger sandwiches and cookie trays.

Dishes by Royal request

The most popular special requests can vary by a customer’s country of origin. For example, Middle Eastern royal families commonly order dishes including Arabic Mezze, Chicken Biryani, Patchi chocolates and desserts from New York City speciality shops. Indian VVIP clients often request lavish Mughlai and other regional delicacies that reflect the country’s rich culinary heritage, typically sourced from authentic top local Indian restaurants.

Some celebrities have very particular requests, including one very famous R&B duo who will always request a popular plant-based milk product. Other large jets require catering to a similar standard as a Michelin starred restaurant, including caviar, blinis, lobster platters and meals with white and black shaved truffles.

In-flight private chefs

dnata Catering & Retail’s US-based teams include dedicated chefs working exclusively for private and corporate aviation customers, who can also accompany flights on a multi-stop, country-wide tour. Its global network also allows it to fully cater for customers at each point on their trip, with the busiest cities for private aviation including New York, London, Milan, Sydney and Dubai.


Trusted by global governments

Besides sports teams, dnata provides high-end catering to royalty, high-profile musicians, and significant numbers of foreign government jets departing overseas. Notably, its teams catered for up to 70 presidential aircraft departing John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York following the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering & Retail USA, said: “We believe that every passenger should enjoy an unforgettable onboard dining experience. We're committed to offering top-tier cuisine to our VIP customers, with each meal crafted to leave a lasting impression. Whether it's a luxurious multi-course meal or a personalised dish tailored to the most refined tastes, our team uses only the freshest ingredients and puts thought and care into every detail. In private aviation, excellence is the required standard, and we’re proud to set that standard."

Changing creative solutions

dnata’s customer-oriented teams are consistently changing their menus to personalise offerings to each passenger, by meeting flight crews ahead of every journey. Each menu is developed by establishing the requirements for the aircraft’s next trip, including dishes which have received positive feedback, such as a recent favourite, a Montauk-inspired lobster roll.

Food safety a top priority

dnata is one of only a few VIP caterers which has separate Halal kitchens and teams within all its facilities. Its chefs receive tailored training from specialist colleagues, to prepare favourite dishes including Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. This not only ensures that dnata provides the highest quality, tasty meals, but also by keeping preparation and cooking in-house, all food safety standards can be thoroughly controlled. This includes allergen segregation.

“Allergies and all food safety is our biggest concern,” says Peter. “We have Food Safety Quality Assurance Managers and support staff in every unit. They help to ensure that we are serving our guests food that has been safely prepared.

“We operate strict allergen protocols and take every step that we can to serve safe and delicious food.

“As we cater for many professional sports teams, a common player snack is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. However, as peanuts are such a serious allergen, we operate peanut-free facilities, and segregate 14 other allergens. Instead, we offer our guests almond butter and jelly sandwiches.”

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.