Soup in the Air - Airline Hot Food Packaging
The development of a CPET tray and lid combination for KLM for an in flight serving of soup. The development brief required something altogether new and demanded different ideas and thinking.
15/10/07 Dutch Airline, KLM, now offer hot soup during long-haul flights thanks to airline food packaging from Faerch Plast.
“Revolutionary” and “an eye opener” are two of the terms used by the national Dutch newspaper `de Volkskrant’ to describe the soup option recently added to the menu of long-haul intercontinental flights of the Dutch national airline. KLM is one of the few airlines serving soup as of summer 2007. Supporting the successful launch is the development of a CPET tray and lid combination.
At the end of November 2006 Packattack, a packaging company who develops packaging concepts and sourcing equipment for airlines, railways and retail chains, contacted Færch Plast regarding a new project: The development of a CPET tray and lid combination for KLM for an in flight serving of soup. The development brief required something altogether new and demanded different ideas and thinking.
CPET Packaging for In-Flight Heating of Food
The story behind this new concept begins with KLM wishing to serve something new and exciting on their long-haul intercontinental flights. A survey carried out by TNO showed that people want simple, healthy meals towards the end of a long flight. In order to meet this demand KLM instructed Packattack to come up with some design proposals, one of which was for soup. The idea of serving soup in flight appeals to KLM, and Packattack starts a co-operation with Færch Plast to make a CPET tray with a matching CPET lid. Top sealing the pack is not a viable option, as it would not be suited to in flight cabin pressure.
A different solution had to be found, one that would simultaneously allow heating of the soup together with preventing leakage. In order to meet the six-month development deadline a group of specialists from technical, development, and sales met with representatives from Packattack. Several trials were carried through before the group came up with the right design of tray and lid combination. CPET was the chosen material due to temperature demands and small vents were created on the rim to release steam without allowing the soup to leak.
CPET Airline Food Packaging
The design of the CPET tray and lid combination is finalised and three final tests are successfully undertaken. One on the ground, and following shortly afterwards two in the air: to Johannesburg and to San Francisco.
Within six months of delivering the development brief KLM is serving soup in the air. On June 1st Indian Tikka soup with Fried Onions and Papaya was added to the menu for passengers on all long- haul intercontinental flights taking off from Schiphol airport in the Netherlands. Three months later the soup is still flying high at 35,000 feet!
