This year’s World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) once again lived up to its reputation as the premier event in the travel catering and onboard services calendar. Held at the Hamburg Messe, the expo offered a compelling glimpse into the future of inflight hospitality and onboard innovation.
With a booth that turned heads, an inspiring lineup of new concepts, and a remarkable showing across multiple award platforms, gategroup reaffirmed its position as a global leader in elevating the passenger experience, from takeoff to touchdown.
An Immersive Showcase at WTCE
WTCE 2025 brought together more than 250 exhibitors and thousands of airline, rail, and cruise professionals to explore the future of onboard hospitality. gategroup’s presence, brought to life through the deSter booth, offered visitors an immersive look into the evolution of onboard dining, retail, and passenger comfort.
The booth wasn’t just visually striking, it was a hub of creativity and conversation for guests, who experienced firsthand the redefining of inflight experience.
Award-Winning Moments
The real highlight? gategroup’s sweep at both the Onboard Hospitality Awards and the PAX International Awards, two of the industry’s most respected accolades celebrating excellence in onboard services.
✨ Onboard Hospitality Awards 2025
Winner – Young Travelers Amenities
Lufthansa Children’s Amenity Kit by deSter
Highly Commended – Catering Innovation
Haizea by Gate Gourmet, the modern dining concept created with iryo
Highly Commended – Special Meal/Product
DeliciasMed Quinoa Bowl by gateretail for Air Europa
✨ PAX International Awards 2025
Best Onboard Retail International – gateretail
Best First-Class Amenity Kit, Europe – deSter x Lufthansa
Best Children’s Amenity Kit, Europe – deSter x Lufthansa
Airline Caterer of the Year:
• South America – gategourmet Latin America
• Europe – gategourmet
• Africa – Servair
Setting a New Standard
These awards span categories and continents, highlighting not only gategroup’s global scale but also its commitment to innovation, regional expertise, and consistent quality. They also reflect a broader industry trend: the rising demand for thoughtful, design-led passenger experiences that feel both personalized and premium, regardless of cabin class.
From Haizea’s restaurant-style inflight service to sustainably sourced amenity kits for children, travelers can expect a new benchmark in the air (and on the rails).
Looking Ahead
As the travel industry continues to rebuild and evolve, gategroup is signaling its strong role in shaping the next era of travel. This vision is made possible by the dedicated teams, both on the front lines and behind the scenes, who work tirelessly to create experiences that truly take flight.
Learn more about WTCE and the awards:
🔗 World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo
🔗 PAX International Awards
🔗 Onboard Hospitality Awards 2025 Winners
About gategroup
gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. For further information, please visit: www.gategroup.com
