gategourmet has successfully supported the launch of Virgin Atlantic operations connecting the UK and Korea, marking an important start-up delivered through close collaboration, careful preparation and a strong focus on quality.
The contract was awarded in November 2025, with operations successfully launched by 30 March 2026. Over an intensive four-month ramp-up period, teams across gategourmet Korea and London Heathrow worked closely with Virgin Atlantic to prepare for a smooth operational start. The launch now supports approximately 468 meals per flight, with load factors reaching 100% in Business Class and 99% in Economy since start-up.
A significant amount of menu development was completed ahead of launch, with 49 Business Class items, 30 Premium Economy items and 25 Economy items created to support the onboard experience. The menu reflects the care, variety and operational precision required to deliver consistently at scale, while responding to the expectations of Virgin Atlantic customers on this important route.
A particular highlight has been gategourmet Korea’s approach to dessert development. Working with Chef Marie Meunier, the team created unique recipes especially for Virgin Atlantic, bringing a distinctive pastry signature to the onboard offer. Originally from Lyon and trained at Institut Paul Bocuse, Chef Marie built her career in leading luxury hospitality kitchens, including Four Seasons George V and Plaza Athénée in Paris, before moving to Mauritius, where she held senior pastry roles at LUX* Grand Gaube and LUX* Grand Baie.
Her work brings together French pastry discipline, signature dessert development, production know-how and a strong sensitivity to local ingredients. This made her contribution especially relevant to the Virgin Atlantic launch, where creativity had to be balanced with consistency, scalability and the realities of onboard service. The desserts developed for the route have since become staple products within the gategourmet Korea pastry kitchen, showing how customer-specific innovation can also strengthen wider culinary capability.
During the start-up phase, gategourmet Korea welcomed Holger Kriess, Manager of Inflight Services Operations Delivery at Virgin Atlantic, and Toby Thompson from gategourmet London Heathrow, who supported the team with his operational expertise. Their feedback on the launch was highly positive, with particular recognition given to food quality, operational readiness, the well-executed truck approach, and the team’s strong organization and attention to detail throughout the process.
Since launch, the food offering has received a lot of positive feedback comments, with strong responses to the Business Class dessert, hot starter and dumplings served as the mid-flight snack. Across the first weeks of service, guests and crew have responded particularly well to the dumplings, Korean-style spicy chicken, hot starters, desserts and crew meals. The Korean chicken dishes have been especially popular, while the halibut and Business Class dessert were praised for both presentation and taste.
On 15 April, the gategourmet team joined Virgin Atlantic and chef Hari Ghotra at the airline’s launch celebration event, marking the successful start of operations and the strong partnership behind it.
The launch reflects the strength of collaboration across teams, regions and partners, bringing together culinary development, operational discipline and a shared commitment to delivering a high-quality onboard experience from day one.
About gategroup
gategroup is a leading global provider of airline catering, retail-on-board, and hospitality products and services. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the company serves millions of passengers through a network of nearly 300 locations in more than 68 countries. By leveraging innovation and operational expertise, gategroup partners with the world’s leading airlines to create exceptional travel experiences. Learn more at www.gategroup.com.
