Qantas officially opens new catering centre in Brisbane

Qantas said its new Brisbane facility will improve the freshness of onboard food. (Dave Parer) — Qantas said its new Brisbane catering facility will improve the freshness of onboard food. (Dave Parer)

Qantas has officially opened a new $80 million “flagship” catering centre in Brisbane, which becomes the airline’s main catering hub.

The new Qantas Catering centre, to which the airline started transitioning operations some months ago, is claimed to be one of the most advanced such facilities in the southern hemisphere. It includes robotic food-handling technology, specialised technology to track equipment throughout the centre and an advanced under-floor waste processing system to improve hygiene and reduce landfill.

Now at full production, the facility produces more than 7 million meals each year for business and economy passengers – equating to some 20,000 meals a day for approximately 120 flights.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “Food is an important part of the travelling experience for many of our customers. A just-in-time delivery model, where automation has been incorporated to reduce the time taken to prepare catering for flights, means our customers get the freshest possible on-board meals.”