Hofmann's recommendations

British Airways & Iberia with Do&Co Catering

700394

Do&Co boss Attila Dogudan has a new project: he will be supplying four new airlines with culinary delights.

By 2020, the Austrian airline caterer Do&Co is planning two canteen kitchens in London and Madrid to supply the airlines British Airways from Heathrow, as well as Iberia and Iberia Express from Madrid Barajas, with culinary delights. Founder and Do&Co boss Attila Dogudan confirmed this to Connoisseur Circle.

The globally active company currently has a workforce of around 11,000 employees, and almost 4,000 more will be needed to manage one of the largest accounts in the European airline industry. This agreement further positions Do&Co on the global map in the airline catering business. Both airlines operate a fleet of around 500 aircraft and both belong to the listed International Airlines Group (IAG).

Do&Co on the upswing
The selection process took two years! IAG CEO Willie Walsh explained in an interview with Connoisseur Circle that the decision as to who would be awarded the contract was not an easy one. "It's a complex process," said Walsh. In addition, Do&Co is currently in negotiations with Turkish Airlines to continue the existing local business. One of the world's largest airports will open in Istanbul at the end of October. Do&Co will be looking after the Turkish national carrier's lounges there, for example.

148 million euro turnover
The Airline Catering division generated sales of EUR 148.39 million in the first quarter of the 2018/19 financial year, accounting for 69.3 percent of Do&Co Group sales. Almost all Do&Co locations reported increases in sales, with those in the USA, Austria, Great Britain and Poland being particularly noteworthy.

Furthermore, the catering contract with LOT Polish Airlines at the locations in Poland was extended for a further five years and nine months in the first quarter.
LOT is currently one of the fastest expanding airlines in Europe. The long-standing partnership with Austrian Airlines was also extended, starting on January 1, 2019 and concluded for a period of three years, with the option to extend for a further three years.

Awarded as top caterer
It is also pleasing for Do&Co that Austrian Airlines won 1st place in the Best Business Class Onboard Catering category at the prestigious SKYTRAX World Airline Awards 2018. In addition, D&Co will continue to focus on the development of buy-on-board solutions for airline catering with its joint venture Versilia Solutions Ltd, which was founded in 2016, and will further accelerate its expansion. Other new airline customers in Vienna since June 1, 2018 are Laudamotion and LEVEL, which has been catering from Vienna since mid-July 2018.