FALE / DUR · Durban · South Africa

Private jet catering at King Shaka International Airport (FALE / DUR), Durban

Catering to your aircraft in Durban.

The summer humidity on the KwaZulu-Natal coast changes how a cold plate behaves in a drawer. We cook and pack for the galley on your tail, with Durban curry and Natal prawns sealed to travel, and hand it over to you at the FBO.

Menu & order Download the menu

10 hours

ideal notice, last-minute handled

Plane-side

handover at the steps

Flight deck

crew and pilot dishes, on request

24/7

a flight attendant on the line

Three of us. All ex VIP cabin crew.

We know the galley, the diet card and the 5 a.m. re-plate — because we lived them. So we built the caterer we always wished we could call.

Camille

Menu & galley logistics

Fourteen years on VIP and head-of-state cabins. Can plate for twelve in a G650 galley and still land it hot.

Inès

Dietary & labelling

The one who reads every diet card twice. If it says no cross-contact, it means no cross-contact.

Sofia

The 24/7 line

Answers at 5 a.m. when the leg moved overnight. Same-day swaps are her love language.

The local tableCooked so it travels

Local specialities from Durban for your inflight catering

Durban cooks differently from Johannesburg or Cape Town. The city has the largest Indian community outside India, and that shapes the local table: bunny chow, a hollowed quarter loaf filled with mutton or bean curry, was born here and eaten by hand. On a private jet menu it needs rethinking, because a loaf soaked in gravy does not survive a drawer. We pack the curry in a sealed pot and the bread apart, and you assemble it at the seat.

A Durban inflight menu leans on the Indian Ocean. Natal prawns, line fish and spiced crab come from the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and in season they make good private jet food for a lunch that stays cold. Local specialities such as samoosas, Durban curry and masala steak are cooked for the oven, with sauce in its own pot and the garnish separate. For anyone landing in {Region}, we write the menu around what the coast is selling that week, and the dishes that follow are what we pack most often at FALE.

Kwazulu-Natal cooking is built on spice and charcoal. A braai of boerewors and sosaties is the local weekend meal, and it translates to a private jet menu as a cold platter of cured meats with chutneys, or a hot grill kept rare for finishing in the galley oven. Marula and rooibos show up in desserts and teas. The local specialities below are what travels best from Durban, and the inflight menu is adjusted to the type and the length of your leg.

Open the menu Download the menuPDF

Durban curry and Natal prawns, local specialities packed for a private jet menu at King Shaka International

01Durban mutton currySealed pot with its own rice; reheated in the galley oven, chutney apart.

02Bunny chow, deconstructedCurry in a pot and a quarter loaf packed dry, assembled at the seat.

03Natal prawnsChilled with lemon and peri-peri butter apart, served cold.

04Samoosas and chilli bitesPacked in the oven tray, crisped in the galley, three dips on the side.

05Boerewors and sosaties platterGrilled to rare in the kitchen, finished in the oven, sauce in its own pot.

06Malva puddingWarm in the galley oven, custard sealed apart; one portion per seat.

How it works

Three steps, one message

You message us

Tail, pax, diets, timing. One message — no portal, no quote form. Answered at any hour, by a flight attendant.

We cook & pack for a galley

Leak-proof boxes, marked by guest and restriction, with reheating times written on the lid.

You re-plate and serve

Two minutes out of the drawer. Whatever you ordered for the crew comes in the same delivery, and one clean invoice follows.

At a glance · DurbanKing Shaka International Airport · FALE

The three founders, former VIP cabin crew, on a business jet airstair — private jet catering at King Shaka International Airport (FALE)

FALE sees Durban's holiday traffic in December and the Comrades Marathon crowd in June, and each brings a different galley. Our private jet catering for the field follows the type, the legs and the guest list rather than a fixed menu. Business aviation catering and executive jet catering share one kitchen standard, and diplomatic flight catering adds protocol review. Inflight catering of the in-flight kind is labelled by seat, while aviation catering for the crew, cabin crew meals and crew meals alike, is ordered on request and invoiced on its own line.

Restaurant cuisine, cooked on the ground
Fresh and local produce
Labelled by seat, diet and reheat
Aviation-ready packaging
High loader for large cabins
HACCP certified kitchens

Who we fly forTwo cabins, one standard

Business jet catering for a flight from King Shaka International, Durban, laid out for the galley

Business aviationOur core

Private jet catering in Durban for business and VIP flights (DUR)

Business jet catering at Durban follows the passenger list. A corporate jet catering order for a board team flying to the coast usually wants a curry and a cold prawn plate, while VIP flight catering for a family on holiday wants lighter dishes and kids meals. Charter flight catering for a full cabin is packed by seat, luxury inflight catering uses local seafood, and a private jet chef at the kitchen writes the bespoke menu around the galley on your tail.

Government flight catering prepared for a state aircraft at FALE, Durban

State & royalDiscretion, protocol

Head of state and government inflight catering at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)

When a state aircraft lands at King Shaka, the menu is agreed with the delegation's office, not the kitchen. Government flight catering and head of state flight catering run on traceability and discretion, VIP aviation catering is packed in sealed boxes, and state visit aircraft catering follows the schedule the protocol team sets for Durban.

Private jet platters and gourmet meals: jet catering in *Durban* (DUR)Or write your own, we cook it

Cold private jet platters of Natal prawns and biltong for inflight catering at Durban, FALE

Cold galley

No oven · served in four minutes

Natal prawn cocktail with lemon and chilli oil — private jet plattersChilled

Biltong and cured meat board with chutneys — private jet snacksRe-plate cold

Line fish ceviche with coriander and limeChilled

Masala vegetable salad with yoghurt dressing — gourmet inflight mealsSauce apart

Fresh tropical fruit plate: mango, litchi, pineappleChilled

Hot gourmet inflight meals of Durban curry and samoosas for private jets at King Shaka International

Hot service

One oven · re-plated in twelve minutes

Bunny chow curry pot with a loaf packed apart — private jet plattersOven

Boerewors with mash and onion gravySauce apart

Grilled line fish with lemon butterOven

Dhal and vegetable biryani — gourmet inflight mealsOven

Chilli bites with three dips — private jet snacksOven

Make a request Download the menuPDF

A dish sealed and labelled for one guest's diet

PrincipalSealed

Nut-free · gluten-freeChecked by two people

Special meals

Dietary requirements and aviation catering at King Shaka International Airport (FALE)

Durban's Indian community makes halal and vegetarian cooking a local baseline rather than an exception, so special meals at FALE start from a kitchen that already separates meat, dairy and spice. We handle kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free and allergen free orders on a separate board, sealed in its own box and marked by seat number. Peanut and shellfish risks are real on this coast, so kids meals and allergen free dishes are plated and boxed away from the prawn and curry stations.

Allergens

A sheet per guest. Separate boards, separate boxes.

ii.

Halal & kosher

Sealed, certificate in the same box.

iii.

Children

Their own menu, nothing to cut at altitude.

iv.

Plant-based & wellness

Vegan, low-carb, light — composed, never compromised.

Crew & pilot mealsOn request

Crew meals for pilots and cabin crew at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)

Crew meals at Durban are ordered on request with the trip and invoiced on their own line, like any other part of the order. Crews on a Kwazulu-Natal turnaround usually want something hot that holds through the walk to the stairs: a curry with rice, or a grilled chicken box. Flight crew meals and pilot meals can be split by seat, and if the operator's policy asks for different meals for pilots, captain and first officer each get a labelled box with a different dish. Cockpit meals and crew catering are sealed with cutlery inside, and crew meal boxes go to the aircraft with the guest order, handed to you through the FBO.

Meal passFALE

Cabin crew

Box

Marked crew

Galley

Oven 6 min

Order

On request

Marked crew

Meal passFALE

Pilots

Box

CPT ≠ F/O

Galley

Cold or hot

Order

On request

Two dishes

King Shaka International Airport, FALE, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, seen from the apron

To the steps, on your slot.

Airside · plane-side · day or night

DeliveryEvery FBO

FBO delivery and FBO catering at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)

At the general aviation terminal in Durban, catering delivery to the FBO starts with the pass list. Ground handling catering and handling agent catering depend on who is cleared airside and who escorts the van. FBO catering is handed to the crew at the aircraft, on your slot, with the paperwork ready.

FBOHandling agentGround handlerGA terminal

High loaderLarge cabins, bizliners

Galley-door delivery and aviation catering at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)

At FALE the aircraft type decides the loading: a light jet is hand-carried through the door, while a heavier cabin may need a high loader for galley catering at the right door height. We confirm the type, the galley position and the door before airside catering delivery, and aircraft provisioning is staged to match, trays and ovens first, chilled items last.

Mention it when you order

HACCP kitchen

Certified, inspected, with cold-chain records filed against your trip.

All FBOs served

Whichever terminal you park at, handover is at the aircraft, on your slot.

Diets read twice

Allergen sheet per guest, halal and kosher on request, sealed and labelled.

One clean invoice

Itemised and trip-report ready, sent after the leg.

About the airportFALE / DUR

About King Shaka International Airport: business aviation and airport catering

King Shaka International opened in 2010 north of Durban and is the gateway for KwaZulu-Natal. Airport catering for private jets here serves the coast, the game reserves and the Drakensberg, and the field takes both airline and general aviation traffic. The FBO services and ground handling services on the general aviation side are what a crew deals with at the aircraft, and a long runway at 295 ft elevation takes heavy types without limits.

Business aviation

Durban works as a business aviation hub because the holiday season, the Comrades Marathon and the Indian Ocean trade all send aircraft here. Inflight catering and in-flight catering for those flights are built around the type, with FBO services and ground handling services coordinating the airside handover. Aviation catering and business aviation catering follow one kitchen standard, executive jet catering and diplomatic flight catering add protocol, and cabin crew meals and crew meals ride on the same order.

Customs & food import

South African customs inspect food arriving on aircraft, and fresh meat, dairy and plant products are the usual restrictions. A catering order cooked in Durban and loaded here sidesteps import trouble, which makes it the simplest route for a return leg. Your handling agent and the ground handling services on the field can confirm the rule for your trip when you order.

ReviewsFrom the crews we cater for

4.7 / 5

★★★★★

Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.

Leave a review

★★★★☆ROYAL FLIGHT

“For 2 passengers departing from King Shaka International Airport, the agreed menu was avocado toast components and breakfast fruit; our main consideration was a late menu amendment. I would discuss inflight catering services with them again, especially when meal organisation needs careful coordination. I gave The Galley Girls our storage brief and asked for the sauces to arrive in compact food boxes. The snack boxes were easy to locate, leaving the crew free to focus on the remaining cabin preparation.”

Anders N. | Royal family manager

BBJ

★★★★★LIGHT JET

“The cabin briefing at FALE included 2 passenger meals, a request for vegetarian wraps and colourful salads, and instructions addressing several individual meal preferences. I want an inflight catering company to understand crew briefing, and this order gave us a useful starting point. We described our serving sequence to The Galley Girls and asked for the canapés to be packed accordingly. That left time to check the desserts properly before the passengers were ready for the next part of the service.”

Sakura N. | VIP flight attendant

Learjet 75

★★★★★VIP AIRLINER

“One detail shaped our order at DUR: a family lunch request, alongside a request for poached fish with steamed rice for 12 passengers. The Galley Girls used a readable packing list for the desserts, which helped when two colleagues checked the order together. The crew provisions were also listed clearly, which made it easier to pass instructions between crew members during preparation. When comparing inflight catering companies, I would look closely at meal organisation after this experience.”

Manuel Z. | Chief cabin officer

BBJ

Questions crews ask about DurbanAsked by crews

How much does private jet catering cost at Durban?+

Think in dishes, not trays. A guest list that wants prawns and masala steak costs more than one that wants curry and rice, and cost on private jet catering at Durban tracks that choice. Send the menu and the passenger count and the quote follows by line.

What is the lead time for private jet catering at King Shaka International?+

A flexible headcount is the real question here. Last-minute orders are handled at FALE, and we keep sealed portions so one more or one fewer guest does not break the plan. Lead time is set by the menu you want, not by a fixed rule.

What are the customs rules for catering into Durban?+

Importing food is where Durban gets strict. Fresh animal and plant products can be held, so the clean option is a return meal ordered here and loaded at the FBO. We check the rule for the trip and note it on the order.

Can you bring food on board at FALE yourself?+

Possible, with limits. South African customs control meat, dairy and produce, and a tight departure slot at King Shaka leaves little time for inspection. Our catering is delivered to the handling agent already packed, so the turnaround is not held up.

Is catering part of a charter flight to Durban?+

No, a charter does not include catering. On a long leg with two services, Durban is often where the second meal is loaded, so we pack it with oven instructions and the first service separately, all billed on its own.