Catering to your aircraft in Kikai.
Kikai is a short-runway island field where light jets and turboprops arrive at the pace of sea weather. We pack island fish, goat and sesame to a galley that is rarely bigger than a drawer and one oven, and we hand the order to your crew at the aircraft.
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.
Fourteen years on VIP and head-of-state cabins. Can plate for twelve in a G650 galley and still land it hot.
The one who reads every diet card twice. If it says no cross-contact, it means no cross-contact.
Answers at 5 a.m. when the leg moved overnight. Same-day swaps are her love language.
Kikai belongs to the Amami island group of Kagoshima Prefecture, and the local table follows the sea and the sugar cane. A private jet menu for Kikai starts with sesame, which the island is known for, and with brown sugar, goat and citrus such as shikuwasa. For private jet food we pack the goat as a thin-sliced plate that re-plates cold, and keep the shikuwasa dressing apart so a leaf salad stays crisp in the drawer.
The inflight menu for Kikai Airport draws on Kagoshima Prefecture rather than the mainland: Satsuma ingredients, island sesame, sea grapes and brown sugar. These local specialities travel as private jet platters and gourmet inflight meals, with private jet snacks such as brown sugar sweets and sesame crackers boxed in a separate tray. Each item is marked by seat number so the cabin crew can plate without opening everything.
Tail, pax, diets, timing. One message — no portal, no quote form. Answered at any hour, by a flight attendant.
Leak-proof boxes, marked by guest and restriction, with reheating times written on the lid.
Two minutes out of the drawer. Whatever you ordered for the crew comes in the same delivery, and one clean invoice follows.
Kikai (KKX) in Kagoshima Prefecture is a short-runway island field that sees business aviation mostly on private charters, island tours and medical or official transfers. Private jet catering here means a compact menu that survives a small galley: business aviation catering for the passengers, executive jet catering for the owner's party, diplomatic flight catering when a delegation transits Japan, and cabin crew meals marked CREW.
Business jet catering at Kikai is usually a compact brief: a corporate jet party of four to six, a short stay and a galley with limited space. Corporate jet catering here favours cold plates and one hot dish. VIP flight catering, charter flight catering and luxury inflight catering can be built with a private jet chef writing a bespoke menu around island fish and goat.
Government flight catering at Kikai is uncommon but possible for official transfers. Head of state flight catering and state visit aircraft catering require the menu to be cleared by protocol before anything is cooked, and VIP aviation catering means a named team and strict traceability on the way to the aircraft.
In island cooking, soy, sesame and fish stock sit in many dishes, so allergen free and special meals need care. Vegan, gluten free, halal and kosher meals are prepared in a separate process, and kids meals use mild, simple ingredients.
A sheet per guest. Separate boards, separate boxes.
Sealed, certificate in the same box.
Their own menu, nothing to cut at altitude.
Vegan, low-carb, light — composed, never compromised.
For a crew landing at RJKI, crew catering is a separate line in the order, on request and invoiced. Flight crew meals and pilot meals are boxed in crew meal boxes, cockpit meals are built to be eaten without a table, and different meals for pilots can be arranged so captain and first officer are never sharing a dish. The cabin crew meals are packed in a separate carton with the CREW marking, away from the guest trays.
At Kikai, FBO catering is handed over at the apron by your handling agent, the point of contact for the general aviation terminal. Catering delivery to the FBO follows your slot, and ground handling catering means the handling agent confirms the access, the door and the aircraft position. Handling agent catering stays simple at a small field.
Larger aircraft are rare at RJKI, so galley catering usually travels by hand. Airside catering delivery is coordinated with the handling agent, and aircraft provisioning is matched to the door and the galley you have.
Mention it when you orderCertified, inspected, with cold-chain records filed against your trip.
Whichever terminal you park at, handover is at the aircraft, on your slot.
Allergen sheet per guest, halal and kosher on request, sealed and labelled.
Itemised and trip-report ready, sent after the leg.
RJKI is a small island airport and, in its way, a business aviation hub for the Amami group: the apron is modest and general aviation traffic is thin, so airport catering here is planned flight by flight rather than from a standing routine.
Island travel gives Kikai its occasional private jet traffic, and each visit calls for its own plan. Inflight catering and in-flight catering depend on the aircraft, aviation catering and business aviation catering follow the passenger list, executive jet catering suits a small group, and diplomatic flight catering a delegation. Cabin crew meals are packed apart from the guest trays, and crew meals are ordered on request like the rest. For a business aviation hub of this size, FBO services and ground handling services stay light, and the FBO and your handling agent agree the apron position before anything is loaded.
Customs in Japan are strict about animal products and fresh produce entering from abroad, which matters for any business aviation hub with international arrivals. At Kikai, that is the reason to order here: the food is already local and the handling agent manages the formalities.
Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.
“Choosing roasted vegetable bowls with separate dressings for 5 people at Kikai Airport was straightforward; the challenge was making it work with limited fridge space. The Galley Girls kept the fruit plates separate from the finishing elements, which gave us control over the final presentation. It made a difference to have the salads ready without cluttering the galley work area during preparation. I would discuss airline catering with them again, especially when meal organisation needs careful coordination.”
“Despite a tight boarding window, we wanted the 7 guests at RJKI to enjoy beef fillet with roasted potatoes without a complicated cabin service. The Galley Girls suggested individual containers for the snack boxes, and that choice worked well with our storage arrangement. For our team, the strongest part of their crew meals was how they handled final order confirmation. We placed the desserts in their planned storage area without first having to reorganise all the catering boxes.”
“On this departure from KKX, 2 passengers had chosen avocado toast components and breakfast fruit, and limited fridge space needed to be reflected in the order. This experience of FBO catering gave us a useful reference for managing packing arrangement on another departure. The Galley Girls updated the sandwiches in the written order and sent back a confirmation that clearly showed our amendments. There was no need to reconstruct the main courses quantities from several messages during the final departure checks.”
For the return from Kikai, think in dishes rather than a flat figure: goat, reef fish and citrus tart each carry their own cost, and the way back can reuse the same menu or switch to something simpler. How much private jet catering costs here is settled once you choose the legs.
The practical lead time for Kikai depends on the weather window rather than a rule. Keep us posted as the forecast changes; last-minute orders are handled, and a seasonal product like shikuwasa is checked before we promise it.
Customs at a small field like Kikai are mostly a matter of declaring fresh food on international arrivals. A light jet galley is small, so we pack only what fits, sealed and labelled, and the handling agent confirms what clears.
Importing food into Japan has tight rules on animal products, fruit and vegetables. A crew that carries meat or fresh fruit risks it being confiscated. Ordering from here keeps the galley compliant and the food within Japanese rules.
Catering is outside a charter. For a flight into Kikai, you order it on top, and a regional dish such as goat soup is priced as part of that menu, not the aircraft.
Tail, pax and diets — a flight attendant takes it from there, day or night.
