The airline tableware market is set for growth. Volumes are being driven by increasing passenger numbers and a demand for enhanced inflight dining, while new materials are spurring innovation.
Advancements in materials and manufacturing are focused on lightweight, durable and eco-friendly options to meet sustainability pressures, but recent launches suggest there is also a move towards classy, premium tray sets chosen to say as much about an airline’s brand and values as its uniforms and livery.
Reflections of home
Design teams are being encouraged to take inspiration from the airline’s branding, to draw on key elements of airline strategy or reflect the home nation and its backstory.
The brief given to Royal Air Maroc’s supplier, Global Inflight Products (GIP), for example, was to ‘create elegant and distinctive tableware that would leave a lasting, positive impression’ but would also ‘embody Moroccan culture and core values’. Shapes and pieces incorporate patterns inspired by traditional Moroccan tableware for a contemporary set that blends cultural representation with functional design to support the cuisine’s colours and textures.
Similarly, Icelandair wanted its new Business tableware concept, by Kaelis, to reflect its nation’s natural landscapes. Volcanoes, icy water and lava plains influenced the shapes, textures and colours of the crockery. The dessert and bread bowls reflect the contours and textures of glaciers. With fluid lines and tactile finishes, the goal was to connect passengers with those landscapes and ‘to elevate inflight dining beyond necessity into artistry.’ Versatility was built in, with pieces that could be mixed and matched to suit differing meal services.
Meanwhile, a fine chinaware collection for Brussels Airlines Business took its design lead from the airline’s uniforms, featuring a warm white base and signature-coloured bowl incorporating blue and bronze accents seen elsewhere in the brand. Supplier, deSter, used organic, round shapes to create a ‘natural and harmonious visual appeal’. Tamilla Van Aerden, Business Development Manager – Travel at deSter, says: “The collection perfectly aligns with the airlines’ vision for a premium Business class. It not only exudes elegance but also ensures practicality and durability for inflight dining.”
Function forward
Global-c drew on the Scandinavian skies for its work on the new SAS tableware for Business (Europe) but insists functionality was also key.
Erik Indekeu, Head of Design, says: “Design is where stories come to life. We are always looking for an original angle and the spectacular Scandinavian skies with awesome gradients from blue to pink/orange became our inspiration, and the simple shapes of the equipment allowed us to add artwork with gradients. We were determined to interpret every detail and functional requirement into a striking design that celebrated the SAS brand. While looking nice is one thing, expertise in catering handling, galley and trolley loading, tray assembly, lidding and food presentation all had to be looked after in very careful detail.”
His colleague Ilse Veldhuis, Design Director at Global-c, adds: “A few details we are particularly proud off are the small pits lasered in the bottom of the Champagne glasses where the bubbles start to ascend; the technical achievement of the gradient on the double-walled mugs, aligned with the printed items; and the 3D Nordic stone texture in combination with a non-slip label on the bottom of the trays. A special metallic-look print was selected to make recycling of the printed paper items possible too.”
Making connections isn’t a trend limited to premium classes. EVA Air partnered with Clip for its Brilliant Glaze collection, using durable resin to create bowls, casseroles, cups and trays inspired by Taiwan’s tea plantations. The Economy cabin brief came with weight, cost and durability constraints but the team showed it was still possible to express brand and heritage through texture, tone and form. The collection also supports the carrier’s sustainability goals by reducing single-use plastics.
Eco imperatives
Etihad also focused on sustainability and put its pledge to remove 80% of single-use plastics from its operations central to its Economy tableware brief for deSter. The resulting range – a tray, casserole dish, side bowls, lids and platter – is made from recycled, high-quality plastic, which launched with a closed-loop recycling programme. Items are collected, washed and reused until they reach their end-of-life, when they are washed, ground down and remanufactured, ensuring full circularity.
