Blog Industry Analysis

The Templemere team was in Hamburg earlier this month for the Aircraft Interiors and World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expos. With more than 11,000 aviation professionals attending and over 700 exhibitors, there were plenty of opportunities to see what the aviation passenger experience will look like in the future, and it wasn’t a surprise that sustainability was a major theme across the event.

Here are our top takeaways…

1. Cabin and onboard catering waste is a massive and growing problem, with the quantity of waste expected to rise from 3.6 million tons in 2024 to 8 million tons in 2050. 60% of all cabin and catering waste is food, 20% of which is untouched. To put this in perspective, the total population of the UK is expected to generate 6.4 million tons of food waste in 2025. Closing the gap between what is loaded and what is wasted is imperative.

2. Taking a sustainable approach has in the past been costly, but more cost-effective ways of improving the impact of onboard services are now an option. There is no shortage of great products that can really make a difference, and considerable efforts are being made to come up with practical solutions.

3. A sustainable service can’t be at the expense of the customer experience. Wooden spoons to eat yogurt for example are a no-no.

4. Conversely, while passengers want a high-quality experience, it also needs to answer their concerns when it comes to sustainability.

5. There are alternatives to single-use amenity kits. Amenity kits that can be returned, cleaned and re-used, or are attractive and of high quality to encourage passengers to take them home, are the way forward.