The in-flight caterer modernizes data systems to boost efficiency, supplier visibility, and sustainability through AI-enabled, cloud-based transformation.

For a business dependent on precision and large-scale orchestration across ingredients, suppliers, and menus, fragmented and inconsistent data had become a barrier to real-time decision-making and supply chain visibility for Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC).

The firm produces more than 225,000 meals daily for over 100 airlines, and on 12 November 2025, it was announced to have taken steps to modernize one of the world’s largest in-flight catering operations by shifting to a unified, data-driven model.

The initiative aims to strengthen EKFC’s digital foundation and improve operational efficiency, supplier coordination, and sustainability outcomes. The goal is to establish a single, trusted platform for managing operational data, enabling production planning, procurement accuracy, and sustainability tracking across its global vendor base.

To address these challenges, EKFC implemented a cloud-based data management platform underpinned by AI, integrating with its existing digital environment. The technology initiative introduced:

  • Centralized master data governance across suppliers, products, and customers
  • Automation and self-service tools for supplier onboarding and data quality control
  • Cloud-based collaboration that improves inventory tracking and procurement transparency
  • AI-enabled predictive analytics for waste reduction and process optimization

According to the firm’s Vice President, IT Information Systems, Tad Nadolny, the transformation ensures “accurate, real-time data at the heart of every ingredient, recipe, meal and decision,” adding that it improves collaboration and visibility while advancing EKFC’s sustainability goals.

The shift also supports EKFC’s environmental initiatives, which already include diverting over 300 tons of recyclable material monthly and producing clean energy through an 8,000-panel solar rooftop. Enhanced data governance is expected to improve traceability of responsibly sourced ingredients while cutting food waste and emissions across operations.

Said Yasser Shawky, Vice President, Emerging Markets (Middle East and Africa), Informatica, the firm providing cloud technology solutions, the said the partnership demonstrates how “data-driven innovation can turn complex operations into intelligent and sustainable models,” underscoring the long-term benefits of operational transparency and agility.