13 April 2017 - Dubai, UAE: Finnair will reassume the control and responsibility of preparing and developing the meals for their flights as part of Finnair’s operations. Finnair and its meal service provider LSG Sky Chefs have signed an agreement with which the catering company LSG Sky Chefs Finland Oy operating at Helsinki Airport will be transferred under the control of Finnair. Since November 2016 Finnair and LSG have been negotiating about new forms of cooperation as the LSG Group does not exercise its purchase option of LSG Sky Chefs Finland Oy. The closing date is still subject to final approval of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.

In the future, LSG Sky Chefs Finland Oy’s name will be Finnair Kitchen Oy and it will become a part of Finnair’s Customer Experience unit. Mikko Tainio has been appointed as the company’s Managing Director. He has previously been responsible for Finnair’s ground operations services. 

“It will be great to have Finnair Kitchen as part of Finnair. Finnair is in the process of executing its growth strategy and Nordic customer experience is a cornerstone of our strategy. Inflight meal and beverage services are significant for our customer experience, and developing this experience is a crucial part of our strategy. Now we have better possibilities to develop our service according to our Nordic vision.  We will also continue to develop and accelerate our operations,” says Mikko Tainio, Managing Director of Finnair Kitchen Oy.  

“In the past years we have achieved a lot in establishing a lean production, upgrading operational processes and ensuring a high quality level. We hand over an efficient catering operation and look forward to our future partnership with Finnair as Finnair is and remains an important customer for LSG Group in many areas,“ says Dirk Kühnemund who is stepping down as Managing Director of LSG Sky Chefs Finland Oy. 

LSG Sky Chefs Oy has been under the control LSG since 2012. The change does not have significant effect on Finnair’s operative or financial results. The LSG Finland employees (approx. 500 people) will be transferred to the service of Finnair Kitchen after the authority approval.