M’lore: CAFS begins First ever State-of-the-art Flight Kitchen at nearby Mangalore Internation

By Robert D’Costa
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 11 Feb 2014: The first ever state-of-the-art dedicated flight kitchen by Casino Air Caterers and Freight Services (CAFS), a leader in the air catering industry commissioned their unit at Kenjar, at nearby Mangalore International Airport, here on Tuesday February 11 morning.

 
CAFS is the subsidiary of Kochi-based CGH Earth Experience.  CAFS has already bases in airports at Kochi, Kozhikode and Chennai.  It’s the first flight kitchen being opened in Karnataka at Mangalore. Swaswaara CGH Earth Experience is already functioning in Om Beach at Gokarna, Uttar Kannada, 240 kilometers from Mangalore International Airport and about 170 kilometers from Dabolim Airport, Goa.   

 
Mangalore International Airport director J T Radhakrishnan inaugurated the facility in the presence of senior officials of Airport Authority of India (AAI), station managers of Jet Air and Air India Express, CAFS big bosses and office bearers of Malavoor gram panchayat.

 
Addressing the media persons at CAFS facility, Kenjar, here CAFS chief executive officer and CGH Earth Experience Hotels director George Dominic said that CAFS has introduced world class facility with specific emphasis on security, health and hygiene at Kenjar, here.  It has a microbiology lab to test the quality of products at every stage.  The trained personnel with proven experience in trade are expected to render quality service.  The services of flight kitchen are on offering for other airlines, while Jet Air on domestic flight to Mumbai availed their first services from their facility at Kenjar, here on Tuesday February 11, said George.

 
George further said that CAFS has been issued mandatory license by Indian Bureau of Civil Aviation – Security to operate flight kitchen.  CAFS services are likely to be availed by other airlines who operate from Mangalore International Airport and also by other foreign airlines who hither to hesitant over lack of efficient and reliable flight kitchen services, although they were keen on beginning their flight services from Mangalore especially to Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, added George.   

 
 
Air India Express (AIE) station manager Nagesh Shetty said that the rapidly developing Mangalore needs a reliable flight kitchen, while CAFS has well positioned very close to the airport with state-of-the-art facilities.   It has huge potential to tap the existing market as there are not many flight kitchen facilities in Mangalore, said Shetty.

 

 
 
Mangalore International Airport director Radhakrishnan said that the city-based Bureau of Civil Aviation – Security approved Ocean Pearl Hotel is the only flight kitchen that was supplying catering to airlines so far, besides Taj Gateway Hotel whose application for mandatory approval is under review with concerned authorities.  Meanwhile, opening of CAFS kitchen facility close to airport indeed better serve the airlines at short notice due to flight delay or rescheduling the flights, said Radhakrishnan.

 
CAFS – Kenjar, Mangalore general manager Francis Aranha who has over 40 years of experiences working with Oman Aviation Services SAOG (now Oman Air) heads the team here since its inception taken the media persons around the facility and explained the different processes right from handling the stocks, storing in dry stores and cold rooms, preparing the menus, quality control on each process, readying the trays for loading into flight kitchen freezer trucks and finally loading into the flight with full security arrangements etc.

 
CAFS corporate chef Gunashekaran briefed on the business class and economy class menu, both vegetarian and non vegetarian.

 
CAFS vice president – business development G Premnath, Jet Airways Mangalore station head Gladwin and others were present at the media meet.

 

Website :  www.cafs.in