Creating a competitive advantage in the global flight catering supply chain: a case study using SCOR model

ABSTRACT

Flight catering is a complex food service industry that caters to a wide range of airlines. Meals provided to passengers are a measure of in-flight service on an airplane. In the case of the airline industry, flight catering companies are responsible for preparing the meal that flight crews serve it at a voyaging altitude. This case study examines Emirates Kitchen Flight Catering (EKFC), a jointly owned entity of Dubai Civil Aviation (10%) and the Emirates Group (90%). Based on existing literature, international archival reports, company publications and participant observations of EKFC, the paper examines how EKFC reached the top of the catering supply chain by offering the best-in-class quality services and food to its passengers. The paper addresses the persistent growth of EKFC’s operations and investigates relevant strategies that reinforce EKFC’s fundamental competencies through the application of Supply Chain Operations Reference framework. Offering a combination of on-board excellence, quality, and fresh and delicious food while controlling costs across the supply chain is an important differentiator of EKFC’s flight catering business, thereby setting a benchmark for other businesses.

KEYWORDS:

• Catering supply chain management
• sustaining competitive advantage
• Supply Chain Operations Reference model
• case study

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by Dina Al-Kayyali, Fadumo Ahmed, Ahmed Obaid, Mohammed Ghassan and Yasser Al Darwesh for collecting data about the case study. The authors would like to appreciate two blind reviewers in the first review round and additional two reviewers of the second review round who have provided their valuable comments which enhanced the quality of the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.