During a special lunch held onboard an A330 jetliner, Airbus confirmed the rapid service times provided by its SPICE (SPace Innovative Catering Equipment) galley system – including a 50 per cent reduction in food preparation time when compared to industry standards.

Airbus has confirmed a key benefit of its new SPICE (SPace Innovative Catering Equipment) galley system, underscoring its rapid service times during a special lunch held onboard an A330 at the company’s mock-up centre in Toulouse, France.

A total of eight airlines – including Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Air France and KLM – took part in this recent trial to evaluate SPICE in as close to real conditions as possible. While the 194 Airbus employees enjoyed their three-course meals, the service crew’s activity was filmed – allowing for in-depth analysis of SPICE’s performance.

Among the key findings, SPICE provided a 50 per cent reduction in food preparation time when compared to industry standards, while drink preparation was four times as fast. Overall, this service took roughly the same time as the eight airlines’ individual benchmarks – despite there being more passengers for each crew member to serve.

“It goes without saying that the trial proved to be a great success,” explained Daniel Percy of Airbus’ aircraft interior marketing team. “We were able to confidently tick off one of the key items required for complete market validation.”

Airbus believes this system has potential to become the first new industry-wide standard for galleys in over forty years. In addition to time savings, SPICE also provides significant weight and space reductions – with minimal changes to the current way of serving passengers and preparing food for loading onto an aircraft.

Source and photo: Airbus