OREANDA-NEWS. Qantas has today officially opened its new USD 80 million state-of-the-art catering centre in Brisbane.

Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the new facility, which is Qantas' flagship catering centre, will ensure the freshest and highest quality meals are served to customers.

“We are delighted to have our main catering hub based in Queensland, where Qantas was founded more than 90 years ago,” Mr Joyce said.

“Food is an important part of the travelling experience for many of our customers. Meals designed by Qantas consulting chef Neil Perry are prepared at this facility and consumed by millions of passengers each year on our domestic and international flights.”

“This facility showcases the very latest in technology, environmental and operational efficiency. We've also implemented the very best in safety and food quality standards.

“A just-in-time delivery model, where automation has been incorporated to reduce the time taken to prepare catering for flights, means our customers get the freshest possible on-board meals.

“Unlike our domestic competitor, Qantas provides meals to all customers - regardless of which cabin they are flying in - so it is vital that we have world-class facilities to cook and prepare these meals.”

The new Qantas Catering centre, which employs over 300 people, is one of the most modern and advanced catering centres in the southern hemisphere. The new centre replaces the old facility on Dryandra Rd which Brisbane Airport required for its future expansion.

The facility produces over 7 million meals each year for Business and Economy passengers - this equates to over 20,000 meals a day for approximately 120 flights.

Qantas started transitioning work to the new centre several months ago, with the facility now fully operational. The centre includes robotic food-handling technology, specialised technology to track equipment throughout the centre and an advanced under-floor waste processing system to improve hygiene and reduce landfill.

Qantas Consulting Chef Neil Perry said Qantas had recently made a range of improvements to meals for domestic and international customers, many of which are prepared at the Brisbane catering centre.

“The whole facility is set up to get meals from catering centres like these and on to aircraft in the quickest time to ensure freshness,” Mr Perry said.

“Qantas regularly wins awards for our on board meals and we are constantly innovating to improve customers experience with us.

The Qantas Group employs more than 6,000 people in Queensland.