Catering to your aircraft in Tandag.
Tandag is a quiet field on Mindanao, and a private jet arriving here needs a menu that survives the heat and the wait. Former VIP flight attendants cook it, label it by seat and hand it to your handling agent.
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.
Surigao del Sur is a fishing province, and the private jet menu at Tandag follows the sea: tuna, bangus (milkfish) and squid make up much of the private jet food we cook for flights out of RPMW. The local specialities that travel best are kinilaw in a sealed tub with its vinegar apart, grilled tuna belly sliced for the plate, and calamansi dressings in small pots. We pack private jet platters of tropical fruit, mango, pineapple and lanzones in season, for the galley counter. For an inflight menu, we also build gourmet inflight meals around garlic rice and adobo-style chicken, and private jet snacks such as dried mango and banana chips. Every dish is described by how it finishes in your galley: oven, sauce apart, chilled or re-plated cold. These local specialities from Surigao del Sur Province are cooked fresh and boxed per seat.
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.
Tandag sits at 16 feet above sea level on the Surigao del Sur coast, a small field where a private jet arrives with a short ramp and a galley that has to be loaded before the next weather window. Private jet catering at Tandag Airport (RPMW / TDG) is cooked for that galley and handed over at your FBO. Inflight catering, in-flight catering and aviation catering here follow the same order as everywhere: tail, slot, headcount. Business aviation catering, executive jet catering and diplomatic flight catering all run through one team, and cabin crew meals are on the same invoice line logic as the rest.
Business jet catering at Tandag usually means a small cabin, a provincial or mining client and a tight galley. For corporate jet catering and charter flight catering we ask the type, the headcount and the dietary cards. VIP flight catering and luxury inflight catering use local tuna, bangus and tropical fruit. A private jet chef writes a bespoke menu around what is fresh that week.
Government flight catering at Tandag is usually tied to provincial visits and official delegations. For head of state flight catering and state visit aircraft catering, the menu is cleared by protocol first, then cooked and sealed with a named contact. VIP aviation catering means traceability and discretion, not extra adjectives.
At Tandag the allergen question is mostly shellfish, shrimp paste and fish sauce, which sit in a lot of local cooking. Kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free, allergen free, kids meals and other special meals are cooked on a separate board and sealed in their own box, with the card taped to the lid. Halal is straightforward with the fish and chicken of Mindanao. For gluten free, we replace soy-based sauces rather than hoping nobody notices.
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.
On a layover at RPMW the crew eats what is easy to carry. Crew meals, flight crew meals and pilot meals are on request, billed as normal. Crew catering and cockpit meals are cooked for the galley of your type, and crew meal boxes can hold two different dishes so that different meals for pilots are available when policy requires.
FBO catering at Tandag Airport is handed over where the aircraft is parked. Catering delivery to the FBO is coordinated with your handling agent, and the general aviation terminal is where the boxes are checked against the order. Ground handling catering and handling agent catering need the tail and the slot, nothing more.
Tandag Airport handles small and mid-size business jets, so galley catering is sized to the type: a light jet takes a few boxes by hand, a larger cabin may take a trolley. Airside catering delivery is arranged through your handling agent on the apron, and aircraft provisioning is confirmed against the galley layout before cooking. If a high loader is ever needed for a wide-body diversion, we ask for the door height first.
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.
Tandag Airport sits on the Surigao del Sur coast of Mindanao at 16 feet elevation, a small regional field. Airport catering here is a short, practical order, and general aviation traffic is mostly provincial and business charter.
Tandag is not a big business aviation hub, but it sees steady charters tied to Surigao del Sur. Aviation catering, business aviation catering and executive jet catering are cooked locally. Inflight catering and in-flight catering for a delegation can include diplomatic flight catering, and cabin crew meals ride on the same order. General aviation here relies on FBO services and ground handling services.
The Philippines controls imported food strictly, and customs can hold fresh meat, dairy or fruit arriving from abroad. For an international sector into Tandag, we recommend local ingredients and sealed boxes, and your handling agent confirms current requirements.
Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.
“Getting yoghurt pots and fresh berries ready for 12 guests at TDG required an order that accounted for a family lunch request. The Galley Girls confirmed the handover contact and identified the fruit plates, making the catering delivery easier for our team to track. My main takeaway from this private aviation catering order was the practical approach to final order confirmation. The cabin team could match the desserts to the request before moving on to the remaining departure tasks.”
“One detail shaped our order at Tandag Airport: a changing departure schedule, alongside a request for a mezze selection with flatbreads for 3 passengers. For business jet catering, that attention to galley preparation made the order noticeably easier to manage. The confirmation from The Galley Girls showed the sandwiches clearly enough for us to check the planned service quantities. It was useful to see the breakfast portions listed separately when checking how much space the complete order would require.”
“With a short ground stop to consider at RPMW, we needed a practical way to serve a cheese board and savoury canapés to 6 passengers. I would discuss business aviation catering with them again, especially when galley preparation needs careful coordination. The crew provisions from The Galley Girls were organised around the cabin plan, with the later service items kept apart. The sandwiches were reserved for the next stage, so the worktop stayed clear while we prepared the initial dishes.”
Prices follow what goes in the box. Imported cheese or wagyu in the Surigao del Sur heat costs more to handle than a local fruit platter. Typhoon-season changes of plan are common, and a revised order is invoiced as such. Contact us by phone or email, 24/7.
A delegation arriving at TDG often changes numbers late. We handle that: last-minute orders are accepted, and the box is re-labelled by seat. Send the tail and the slot by email or call day or night.
Philippine rules on imported agricultural products are strict, and a leftover cheese or fruit basket from another country can be seized. Our catering at RPMW stays local, so it is not a concern. Weather delays at Tandag do not change the rules.
You can, but on a government flight we usually recommend not mixing: food brought from elsewhere may not clear Philippine customs, and protocol offices like one traceable source. If a delegation wants specific dishes, tell us and we cook them at Tandag.
No, and it is worth confirming with the operator: private jet charter terms rarely cover the galley. At Tandag we take the order directly, whatever the season, and invoice it separately.
Tail, pax and diets — a flight attendant takes it from there, day or night.
