Gate Gourmet and gateretail, two gategroup companies, have been awarded a six-year contract to serve Spanish carrier Air Europa.

The Majorcan-headquartered carrier is 100 per cent owned by the Globalia group and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. 

Air Europa flies to and from destinations across Spain, Europe, Latin America, the US, Africa and the Middle East.

Effective January next year, gategroup will enter into a global partnership with Air Europa to bring a seamless and fully integrated end-to-end solution that delivers best in class inflight services, with a powerful balance of customer centricity, flexibility and excellence in culinary, operational and retail capabilities. 

This will be from a number of locations both in Spain, (including Air Europa’s main hub operations in Madrid), and Latin-America, where gategroup retains its current business in São Paulo.

Short-, medium- and long-haul flights will feature in the new contract covering business and economy classes culinary offering, as well as duty free services on long-haul flights.

Business meals and buy on board retail services will also be offered on short- and medium-haul routes.

Air Europa’s main hub will be operated from gategroup’s new, state-of-the-art facility at Coslada, near Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas airport.

A cutting-edge kitchen at the new 9,000 sqm facility will allow the company’s chefs to showcase their talents and deliver innovative and creative meals to all classes of the airline’s guests. 

“We are delighted that our flexibility, commitment and innovation have been recognized as strong differentiators and will establish a strong foundation for our relationship with Air Europa,” says Xavier Rossinyol, chief executive of gategroup. 

gategroup itself was earlier this week sold to investors RRJ Capital.