In 1919, the first airline meal was served by Handley Page Transport on a flight from London to Paris. Passengers were served a pre-packed lunch box that cost 3 shillings (about Dh35 today, on a retail price index basis).

Almost a century later, at one of the largest airline kitchens in the world, the Emirates Catering Facility, is capable of producing 115,000 meals per day.

In celebration of the launch of Emirates’ new non-stop service to Tokyo on 28th March, the award-winning airline has pulled out all the stops to ensure that its passengers enjoy a truly Japanese experience, even before they have arrived at Narita International Airport.

Spongy omelettes, lukewarm coffee and a bread roll past its best used to be all passengershad to look forward to as they sat back and waited for a meal to break up the monotony of a flight. But times have changed and Dubai is now home to the world’s biggest and most advanced in-flight catering service, proving it is possible to enjoy top-notch food at 30,000ft.

The Emirates Airline catering service produces tens of thousands of meals every day, not just for its own flights, but also for dozens of other carriers.