“It’s Aotearoa on a plate” – Air New Zealand unveils new locally-driven menu

As international travel kicks off again, Air New Zealand is switching up its menu to highlight the finest local produce and show meals are anything but plane at 40,000ft.

The airline is unveiling its new Business Premier menu, which showcases the best of Aotearoa on a plate, including local ingredients like Southland Lamb Prosciutto, Hawke’s Bay extra virgin olive oil and mānuka smoked free-range chicken from the Waikato.

Last week, (June 3) Air New Zealand customers flying to and from Rarotonga were given a first taste of the Business Premier menu, which will be officially launched and rolled out on all long-haul international routes from October.

To welcome customers to their dining experience, the airline has also introduced a Koha from the Kitchen to be served after take-off.

The airline’s talented culinary team has put together these bite-sized morsels to hero local ingredients, including Paua and seaweed from Akaroa, and as a token of gratitude to those flying with us.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Leeanne Langridge says “We all know how important food is when travelling and what a difference it makes for our customers to be served a tasty meal full of fresh, local produce while on their journey.

“Our inflight meals showcase the best of New Zealand produce to the world, and also gives our Kiwi customers a taste of home from the moment they are welcomed onboard.

“Through customer research we found our Premium customers wanted more choice in the air, so we’ve added a build your own component to the main meal service. Customers can add the likes of seared Salmon from Marlborough, free-range chicken from Waikato or bacon for greater protein, or streamed green vegetables or fresh, crisp salads picked straight from orchards and fields in Gisborne, Waikato or the Manawatū.”

Many of the meals like the Artisan pasta bowl and superfood salad are also vegetarian, giving our customers plenty of meat-free options as well.

There’s a huge amount the airline must consider when it comes to creating a tasty dining experience at 40,000ft.

“Meals have to meet certain requirements for heating and assembling onboard, and at altitude in the drier aircraft environment, taste buds are suppressed by around 30% so we need to ensure all our food components are full of flavour!”

Air New Zealand works with many well-known local suppliers when it comes to creating its menu. To keep up with changing food trends, the airline switches up the menu three times a year on long haul flights, with more frequent changes for its Australia and Pacific Island routes.

Air New Zealand will be refreshing its Premium Economy and economy offering at the same time. Sustainability has been at the forefront of developing the new menu, and the airline will also be rolling out new sustainable service ware in all cabins, helping to reduce weight and single-use plastic on the aircraft. This service ware can reduce weight on an aircraft by around 20 per cent.

Switching to a more sustainable service ware option could also remove some 28 million single-use plastic dishes and knives, forks and spoons from inflight every year throughout the airline’s global network.

“This is another step towards our sustainability goals. We have been on a journey towards reducing the impact of our service ware on the environment and the beautiful country we call home, by moving away from single-use plastics to more sustainable options.”