Taj Air Partially Loses Jet Catering Deal To Oberoi

Jet Airways, the private airline, has decided to partly shift its lucrative over Rs 40 crore in flight catering contract from the Taj Group-controlled Taj Air Caterers to Oberoi Flight Services from December 15.

Oberoi has won the contract for 30 per cent of the total business and will be operating in New Delhi as well as in Mumbai. Since 1993, when Jet Airways started operations, this is the first time that it has used another in- flight catering company.

Sources in Jet Airways said that the business for Oberoi from the airline could be expanded later on.

According to sources in Jet Airways the decision was taken in order to improve the quality of food and beverages on flights, offer more variety to the customer and give them a choice of different cuisine.

A senior executive of Oberoi Flight Services while confirming the deal told Business Standard: "We will operate from both Delhi and Mumbai, in Delhi we will have 50 per cent of the business while in Mumbai we should have 25 per cent of the Jet Air in-flight catering business".

The senior executives pointed out that they did not have the capacity to cater to the entire need of the airlines.

Sources in Jet Airways said that the airline would be revamping its cuisine to begin with for the Club Premiere passengers and in the second phase for the economy class passengers on the Delhi- Mumbai route. The facility will be extended to other flights in the Club Premiere class.

The new cuisine would include four varieties of breakfast which would include north Indian, and south Indian vegetarian, light meal with pan cake and waffles and non vegetarian meal.

There will be five varieties of dinner and lunch served which include non vegetarian health food, vegetarian health food, international non vegetarian food , Indian non vegetarian and Indian vegetarian. Pre plated cut fruits and desserts will be on offer in the aircraft gallery for the first time and even the crockery will be changed.

Taj of course has dominated the in flight catering business for domestic Indian airlines. Sahara Airlines depends on Taj for its entire in flight catering need. Sahara which has recently introduced 5 flight on the Delhi -Mumbai route has been offering a choice of nine varieties of dinner and lunch and about three varieties of breakfast.