As the aviation industry gears up for WTCE 2025 in Hamburg, all eyes are on the latest innovations shaping the future of onboard service.
This year, deSter is bringing a fresh perspective with its theme, ‘Elevate Your Travel’, a vision that focuses on enhancing every aspect of the passenger experience, not just in premium cabins but throughout the entire aircraft.
Ahead of the show, we checked in with Ruud Vanderheyden, Senior Category Director Main Cabin at deSter, to find out more about what it will be showcasing at WTCE this year.
Your theme this year is ‘Elevate Your Travel’. Can you elaborate on what that means?
Our goal is to challenge the status quo and inspire airlines to push boundaries. WTCE is the perfect platform to showcase how we can enhance the onboard experience for every traveller. Elevating travel generally means introducing new tools and solutions that transform inflight dining into a more memorable and enjoyable part of the journey. By refining every detail, from experience design to sustainable choices, we ensure that Economy and Premium Economy passengers can enjoy something that surpasses the usual standards of that cabin.
In Economy and Premium Economy, creating a premium experience is much more challenging than in First or Business Class. How do you approach this?
Personalisation and choice are indeed more complex in the back of the aircraft. However, our well-thought-out innovations can make a significant difference. We can help airlines create a more engaging and comfortable dining experience by, for example, enabling better food presentation and offering greater flexibility for chefs.
Also, reusable tableware, when made from the right materials, can enhance both the aesthetic appeal and sensory enjoyment of inflight meals. At WTCE, we’ll demonstrate how airlines can successfully implement such solutions, as transitioning to reusable options comes with unique challenges that we can help solve.
Reusable tableware is a great way to reduce onboard waste, but how do you elevate the inflight experience on airlines that can’t implement reusables yet?
While some airlines are eager to adopt reusable solutions, this is not the case for everyone. In such cases, choosing the most sustainable single-use option is key, not just for the planet but also for the passenger.
Unfortunately, what we occasionally see on the market are single-use products that claim to be plastic-free or compostable, but those claims aren’t always accurate. At deSter, sustainability is at the core of our ESG strategy and we are committed to transparency.
One of our biggest differentiators is that we are the only manufacturer producing our own fibre-based tableware, including cups, cutlery, and dishware. By controlling the entire development and production process, we ensure our products are optimised for the unique constraints of airline catering. At WTCE, we’ll showcase these exclusive product innovations developed by our in-house team — functional and aesthetical solutions that empower us in our quest for sustainability.
