dnata’s specialist teams will uplift around 37,000 meals annually, contributing to a quality onboard experience for Asiana Airlines’ passengers on its three-weekly service to Incheon International Airport (INC) in South Korea.

Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering Czech Republic, said: “We are proud to welcome Asiana Airlines and to be selected as its exclusive catering partner in Prague. Our experienced team will work closely with the airline to deliver expertly crafted, premium-quality meals that consistently delight passengers on board.  We look forward to building a long and successful partnership.”

dnata: the inflight catering partner of choice for 18 airlines in Prague

Including Asiana Airlines, dnata provides catering services to 18 airline customers with a team of more than 210 hospitality professionals in the Czech Republic. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata Catering’s teams uplifted over 3.5 million meals for 17,000 flights in the country.

Global goals in motion: electric truck proves its power in Prague

Globally, dnata is taking practical steps to enhance environmental efficiency through ongoing investment in renewable energy, electric equipment, waste reduction and process improvement.

In Prague, dnata recently completed a successful trial of an electric catering truck as part of these efforts. Over the course of the trial, the vehicle covered 730 kilometres, served 230 flights, and operated in temperatures as low as 1.6°C, demonstrating the potential of electric ground support equipment (GSE) in day-to-day operations.  

Delivering culinary excellence at scale

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.

dnata’s highly-trained teams will produce and uplift more than 30,000 meals annually to ensure an excellent dining experience on board the airline’s flights. China Airlines currently operates two weekly services between the Czech capital and Taipei.

Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering & Retail, Czech Republic, said: “We are proud to have earned the trust of China Airlines with our innovative approach and uncompromising focus on service excellence. Our experienced team will make every effort to consistently deliver exceptional products that contribute to a memorable journey for each passenger.

“We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with our newest customer and continue to invest in our team, infrastructure and product improvement to remain at the forefront of excellence in the industry."

Including China Airlines, dnata provides catering and retail services to more than 15 airline customers in the Czech Republic. Over the past year, the company has significantly increased production to support airlines in ramping up their operations in the country. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata uplifted over 4.5 million meals at Prague Airport, which represents 80% growth year over year. To support the growth, the company has hired 20 additional, local staff and now employs over 160 dedicated professionals in the Czech capital.

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.

Air Dispatch has been offering quality and reliable CLC services to both legacy and new generation carriers since 2007. It calculates the weight and balance conditions for aircraft prior to flight, securing greater productivity and profitability for its airline customers.

Air Dispatch’s CLC unit coordinates with stakeholders at all stages of the operations and provides 24-hour support for weight and balance issues. The timeline for a cargo flight varies and is often spread out over many hours. Cargo handlers, such as dnata, need to understand the maximum weight and specific pallet combinations many hours before the departure of the flights so that they can build the payload in the most effective way, ensuring compliance with the balance requirements of the aircraft operating the flight.  The load planning takes place before the Loadmaster arrives at the airport, freeing them up for the safety critical role of coordinating and supervising the loading. A CLC unit can also coordinate transit loads well before the aircraft arrives, allowing for efficient turnarounds and improved on-time performance. 

Every month, Air Dispatch’s 170 highly-trained aviation professionals produce over 60,000 loadsheets for 19 airlines operating from 392 airports across six continents and every time zone with an airport on the planet.

Nick Yeadon, CEO of Air Dispatch, said: “We are proud to celebrate our 7^th million loadsheet with our highly-skilled team and long-standing customer, marking another remarkable milestone in our journey.

“With the increased adoption of the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM), more and more cargo airlines are looking to CLC services as a way of complying with the newly required “four-eyes” principle for the production of weight and balance documentation.  Using a CLC for the production of the loadsheet allows for early communications with the cargo warehouse, thus maximizing the payload and freeing up the Loadmasters’ time during the turnaround.

“We will continue to work hard to deliver world-class value for our customers through innovative and safe services.” 

Greg Holland, Operations Director at Titan Airways, said: “Congratulations to Air Dispatch on this milestone.  The Air Dispatch team, day in, day out provide our operation teams first-class support.  The CLC team in Prague work proactively with our partners, from our freight forwarder client, through the warehouse and ground handling chain to ensure safe and on time departures while maximising the payload we carry.  Additionally, the CLC provides reactive solutions to our Loadmasters when they are busy out on the ramp and encounter a need to replan, using the four eyes principle this enhances safety and allows our loadmasters to focus on load supervision.”

In addition to its core CLC expertise, the Air Dispatch also provides carriers with other value-added support services, including flight data warehousing and ULD (unit load device) tracking.

Air Dispatch operates three state-of-the-art centralised load control (CLC) centres, two in the Czech Republic, in Prague and Ostrava, and one in Poland, in Warsaw, utilising the customer’s preferred departure control system (DCS) solution.

The Air Dispatch brand is part of dnata. dnata offers ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in 38 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2021-22, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 527,000 aircraft turns, moved 3 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 39.9 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 632 million.

Naturally, the first place I went looking for a job after finishing culinary school was Czech Airlines.

The airline catering environment turned out to be very different to the restaurants and hotel kitchens I’d cooked in up until that point. An experienced chef sensed my apprehension and took me under her wing. She taught me discipline, advanced techniques and the importance of cooking with the finished product in mind. In our industry, chefs sometimes feel far removed from the customer, but my mentor helped me envision my food as it would be plated and presented on board the plane. I progressed quickly under her guidance and was soon promoted to shift leader.

Believe it or not, I was still yet to experience air travel myself. It wasn’t until my tenth year in airline catering – shortly after dnata recruited me as head chef of its Prague facility – that I finally enjoyed my first flight. I’ll never forget the thrill of take-off, the birds-eye view from my window and the anticipation I felt as we circled Paris before landing. Then there was the sheer joy of exploring a new city and sampling dishes so different to anything I’d ever known.

I was hooked.

Nowadays, I fly at least five times a year. A head chef must be hungry for new ideas and recipes – and for me, these come from travel.

I’m particularly crazy about Asian cuisine. It has captivated me with its aroma, taste, and the variety of colours and ingredients used. I spent time in Vietnam and came back inspired to recreate street food like curried cod, crispy spring rolls and smoked duck. The Vietnamese smoke their duck on charcoal, seasoned with five spice, honey and ginger. We follow this process to replicate this beautiful dish.

Our airline partners are another source of inspiration. Our Prague facility caters for 15 airlines, each with its own market, preferred cuisine and collection of national favourites for us to master. There’s little room for boredom when you’re working with recipes and ingredients from all over the globe. I can’t imagine returning to the restaurant scene now – having to specialise in a single cuisine and stick to the same menu for months on end.

Every so often I have to pinch myself. I still find it hard to believe that the young boy who spent so many hours ‘plane spotting’ is now responsible for feeding millions of travellers each year. My team and I derive so much satisfaction from making inflight dining a true ‘experience’ – part of the journey that passengers look forward to and enjoy.

The best part is I know there’s still plenty more to come. There will always be new places, cuisines, ingredients and techniques to discover. Part of the joy of being a chef is that we never stop learning.

About Vaclav (Vasek) Bodnar

Celebrated internationally for his Sushi and Asian dishes, Vaclav Bodnar is the driving force at our Prague business, where he leads a team of 130 staff.

With more than 25 years’ experience in inflight catering, ‘Vasek’ as he is affectionately known by his team, champions quality, simplicity and creativity. Vasek travels often, seeking out flavours and inspiration to bring home to his customers in Prague.

He also collaborates regularly with leading chefs outside of our industry. As a member of the World Association of Chefs Societies, a patron of the Slany Culinary School and regular host of culinary seminars, Vasek is a great mentor for aspiring chefs in Prague and across our wider global business.

Air Dispatch has been offering quality and reliable CLC services to both legacy and new generation carriers since 2007. It calculates the weight and balance conditions for aircraft prior to flight, securing greater productivity and profitability for its airline customers. In addition to its core CLC expertise, the company also provides carriers with other value-added support services, including flight data warehousing and ULD (unit load device) tracking.

Air Dispatch operates three state-of-the-art centralised load control (CLC) centres, two in the Czech Republic, in Prague and Ostrava, and one in Poland, in Warsaw, utilising the customer’s preferred departure control system (DCS) solution.

Every month, Air Dispatch’s 270 highly-trained aviation professionals produce over 80,000 loadsheets for 16 airlines operating from 488 airports across six continents.

Nick Yeadon, Chief Executive Officer of Air Dispatch, said: “Air Dispatch started offering its innovative services with a team of only 11 dedicated employees in a small office in 2007. Since then, we have earned the trust and loyalty of some of the world’s largest airlines, becoming the world’s leading provider of CLC services. We have expanded our staff with over 250 professionals, opened new offices and launched new services, while never losing focus on quality and innovation. I thank our expert team for their hard work and record-breaking efforts and look forward to continually delivering excellent services for our customers.”

Air Dispatch is part of dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers. dnata ensures the aviation industry operates smoothly and efficiently at 127 airports in 19 countries delivering quality and safe ground handling, cargo and catering services for over 300 airlines. Every day, the company’s dedicated employees handle over 1,900 flights, move more than 8,500 tonnes of cargo and prepare 320,000 inflight meals.

-ENDS

dnata’s growth in 2018 has been driven by a new partnership with American Airlines and the additional flights of its existing customers, including Emirates and Air Canada.  In the first 10 months of 2018, the dnata team prepared over five million inflight meals for a total of 35,000 Prague flights, which represents a 15% increase year over year. To support the growth, the company has hired 25 additional, local staff in the past 12 months and now employs over 300 dedicated professionals in the Czech capital.

Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering, Czech Republic, said: “2018 has been an exceptionally successful year for dnata in the Czech Republic with double-digit growth and a number of significant achievements. We are proud to have successfully expanded our operations and team to meet the increased demand for our services, while never losing focus on safety and quality. We continue to deliver the best possible products for our 18 airline customers and their passengers.”

Backed by the latest technological innovations, dnata works closely with customers to create menus and develop products that specifically suit the airline and passenger profile.  As technology becomes more prevalent in the inflight experience, dnata also develops onboard Point of Sale solutions to make the travelling experience easier for passengers and crew. The company has recently launched its brand new, cutting-edge Android mPOS terminal in Prague, which is now being used by three major airlines.

As one of the world’s leading inflight caterers, dnata currently operates 62 catering facilities in 11 countries producing over 320,000 world-class meals every day.

--ENDS