Culinary concierge service On Air Dining has installed an approved halal kitchen at its London Stansted airport headquarters. It is one of the first kitchens owned by an inflight dining company to hold official halal status. The recognition was formalised by Mataan Noh of Halal Consultations, who is counselled by Sheikh Dr Abdul Majid Ali, a TV personality and councillor on Islamic matters in the UK and UAE.

In addition to creating a dedicated halal Arabic menu, On Air Dining has also received certification confirming that its entire fine dining, brasserie and platter menus conform to halal requirements. This means that clients can order from any item on the menu and be assured that it conforms to halal cuisine guidelines in adherence to Islamic law.

The move has come in response to the company's expanding presence in the Middle East: “The market is growing at a tremendous pace with more operators coming in and out of the UK, so this is an important move for us,” says CEO Daniel Hulme. “We are proud to offer the services of our newly certified halal kitchen to our private jet customers and look forward to satisfying the taste buds of this discerning clientele.”

To ensure the new kitchen meets the stringent requirements needed for official status, separate kitchen equipment must be used when handling halal items, Halal food must not touch non-halal items and gloves must be changed when handling non-permissible ingredients. It is also a requirement that all ingredients are free of alcohol and pork as well as items which contain their by-products.

Adds Hulme: “Many inflight dining providers claim to offer halal cuisine but often they are just buying dishes from halal restaurants and delivering them to the aircraft. Here we will be creating dishes from freshly sourced permissible ingredients in our certified kitchen, ensuring that the needs of our customers are completely met and that quality, consistency and versatility are not compromised.”