Copyright Simple Flying
The aviation world is continuing to count down the days until the 2025 Dubai Airshow, which is set to begin on Monday, November 17. The event will run until Friday, November 21, at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), also known as Dubai World Central, with many of the world's major airlines and aircraft manufacturers taking center stage. As always, Simple Flying will also be on the ground in Dubai and ready to bring you the news. However, while the logistics of static and flying displays of aircraft (including a hotly anticipated performance by the Boeing 777X this year) are often considered in the run-up to airshows such as Dubai, there are other equally important pieces of the puzzle that go on behind the scenes. As such, in order to provide catering to its many visitors, the show has teamed up with UAE flag carrier Emirates to deliver a memorable culinary experience. The Key Figures On a numerical level, Emirates' catering operation at the Dubai Airshow 2025 is set to be nothing short of astounding. According to a statement sent out by the UAE flag carrier earlier today, the carrier expects to serve over 300,000 meals over the course of the event, working out at a daily average of more than 60,000. In order to support these extreme efforts, a team of almost 2,600 members of staff will be deployed to the airshow. Among these, the revered Middle Eastern airline explains, are "74 interns have been recruited from prestigious hospitality institutions." Emirates has built two on-site kitchens from scratch, with the construction of this infrastructure having taken less than two weeks. More than 35,000 meals have already been prebooked to be served at the more than 150 chalets, with Shahreyar Nawabi, the CEO of Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), saying: "We can authentically deliver any cuisine. (...) Our skilled and experienced team of chefs doesn’t just understand recipes, but also the cultural nuances and preferences of guests from nearly 100 countries." An Offering To Match The Attendees' Diversity Over the years, Dubai, like other Middle Eastern hubs such as Doha and Abu Dhabi, has increasingly leveraged its Middle Eastern location between Europe and the rest of Asia to serve as an obvious stopover for long-haul travel. As a result, it has become a veritable melting pot for people and cultures from all over the world, and this is reflected in those who attend the show, with "visitors from over 98 countries" expected this year. With this in mind, Emirates has devised a diverse culinary offering to meet the differing needs of those who will be availing of its catering services at this year's Dubai Airshow. On this front, Nawabi explains that "French, Middle Eastern, Indian, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese dishes" will be among those available. While Emirates will be constructing purpose-built infrastructure to support its considerable catering operation at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, the airline is already intimately familiar with the production of food at Dubai World Central Airport. This is because the sprawling hub is home to the facility that produces its in-flight meals (a whopping 77 million every single year), and Emirates plans to use this capacity to supplement its airshow offering. A Special Uniform For A Special Occasion As previously mentioned, 74 hospitality interns are among the staff that will keep Emirates' catering operations on the straight and narrow at this year's Dubai Airshow. According to the airline, they are from such institutions as "GLION Switzerland, EHL Lausanne, Swiss Education Group, Bukhara State University Uzbekistan, Dubai College of Tourism, Ajman University, Les Roches Abu Dhabi, Zayed University, and NEST College UAE." The prestigious nature of the event demands the highest of standards, with Emirates having put its interns through a six-month training program in order to deliver the best possible experience. While the carrier's uniforms are typically based on a red and black color palette, Emirates noted in its statement earlier today that "a custom cobalt blue uniform designed exclusively for the Dubai Airshow" will be deployed at the event this year.
