TURKEY/SWITZERLAND. gategroup has begun an exclusive contract with SunExpress to provide inflight catering and provisioning services across the Turkish carrier’s entire domestic and international network.
SunExpress is a leading airline for international leisure traffic to and from Turkey and domestic flights within Turkey. It carried over seven million passengers last year, posting the highest revenue in its history.
gategroup is the sole concessionaire of SunExpress’ food & beverage retail onboard programme. The contract came into effect on 1 February.
gategroup is delivering the service in partnership with Sancak Inflight Service, which is providing the catering and logistics services at SunExpress’ main bases at Antalya and Izmir Airports and throughout Turkey.
gategroup President EME and Americas Herman Anbeek said, “We are excited to provide our services to the Turkish market through this exclusive agreement with SunExpress as we see tremendous potential for the leisure tourism sector in this well-developed country. Working with Sancak Inflight Service as our business partner in Turkey ensures an optimal service for SunExpress and its passengers.”
SunExpress Deputy Managing Director Ahmet Çalışkan stated, “Customer satisfaction is one of the top priorities for SunExpress and in this framework, Skytrax Awards… chose SunExpress as the world’s fourth best holiday airline in 2017. We have cooperated with gategroup and its experienced business partner in Turkey, Sancak Inflight Service, to offer our passengers more delicious and more diversified service by carrying customer satisfaction to a higher level.”
Sancak Inflight Service has over 25 years of catering experience and operates in seven international airports in Turkey. Sancak Inflight Service Chairman of the Board Mustafa Bayrak said, “We are looking forward to years of successful cooperation with SunExpress. Our business partnership with gategroup has created a remarkable added value which fits very well with the expectations of SunExpress.”
As reported, gategroup is set to re-list on SIX Swiss Exchange later this year. The company is currently owned by HNA Group, which will sell the majority of its holdings but remain a long-term anchor shareholder.
SunExpress was founded in Antalya in 1989 as a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. It offers over 1300 weekly flights to more than 60 destinations between Turkey, Europe and the Canary Islands, the Red Sea and North Africa.
Sancak Inflight owns and operates seven inflight kitchens in Turkey, plus a satellite logistics platform in Gazipasa Airport (GZP). In 2017 the company uplifted over 10.000.000 meals.
