Catering to your aircraft in Kartepe.
At Kartepe's LTBQ, the work happens at the apron: a small galley, a handling agent at the door and a menu cooked by former flight attendants.
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.
Kartepe sits in Kocaeli Province, where the mountain air brings out honey, chestnuts and dairy that end up on every local table. That is the starting point of our private jet menu for LTBQ.
On the inflight menu, local specialities from Kocaeli Province come in galley-friendly form: chestnut dessert, Izmit köfte sliced for service, and Marmara fish chilled for re-plating.
Private jet food here stays seasonal. Summer brings tomato and pepper plates from Kartepe growers, winter brings soups and braised dishes. Private jet platters are cut per passenger.
Gourmet inflight meals use what the region does best, and private jet snacks, from hazelnut mixes to dried figs, fill the gaps between services with local specialities.
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.
Cengiz Topel Airport sits at 182 ft in Kartepe, a former military field now working as a business aviation stop in Kocaeli Province. Private jet catering here is built around a galley with little space and a handling agent who meets you at the apron. We pack by seat and by dish, so inflight catering reaches the drawer ready to plate. The same hands also handle in-flight catering for crew, aviation catering for charters and business aviation catering for corporate flights. Executive jet catering, diplomatic flight catering and cabin crew meals are all ordered on request through the same call.
Business jet catering at Cengiz Topel is usually a brief from corporate flight departments in Kocaeli: four to eight guests, one oven, a drawer. Corporate jet catering and VIP flight catering follow that shape, with charter flight catering on the same terms and luxury inflight catering where guests ask for it. A private jet chef writes the bespoke menu around your galley and the local table of Kartepe.
When an official flight uses Kartepe, discretion is the rule. Government flight catering, head of state flight catering and VIP aviation catering are managed by a small team, and state visit aircraft catering is packed, sealed and passed over at the apron.
Kocaeli cooking leans on wheat, dairy, hazelnut and sesame, so allergen free orders at Cengiz Topel are planned around those four first. Kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free, special meals and kids meals are prepared on separate boards, marked by seat and restriction.
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.
Crews landing at LTBQ often have a short turn, so crew meals arrive in boxes marked by role. Flight crew meals and pilot meals can be two different dishes, crew catering is billed as its own line, cockpit meals travel with the pilots, crew meal boxes stack in the galley, and different meals for pilots are packed apart. Cabin crew meals follow the same rules, on request.
At Kartepe, we hand over to the FBO or the general aviation terminal. FBO catering is signed for by your handling agent, and catering delivery to the FBO is matched to your slot. Ground handling catering and handling agent catering stay on one order.
Cengiz Topel handles mostly light and midsize jets, where galley catering is loaded by hand through the main door. For a larger type, tell us the aircraft and we plan airside catering delivery around its door height and any high loader your handling agent can arrange for aircraft provisioning.
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.
Cengiz Topel Airport serves Kartepe and Kocaeli Province as a regional field at 182 ft, with general aviation traffic alongside local operations. Airport catering here is small-scale and precise: FBO services and ground handling services run through your handling agent at the terminal, who opens the apron door and signs for the boxes.
As a business aviation hub for Kartepe, Cengiz Topel sees mixed traffic, and ground handling services are arranged per movement. Aviation catering, inflight catering and in-flight catering are ordered flight by flight: business aviation catering for charters, executive jet catering for repeat operators, diplomatic flight catering for official movements. Crew meals and cabin crew meals are ordered with the flight and invoiced like the rest of the order.
Turkish customs check food entering and leaving the country, and animal products are the most closely watched. Declare honey, cheese and meat when asked, and keep packaging sealed. Your handling agent at Cengiz Topel, who runs the ground handling services on the apron, advises on the exact forms.
Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.
“Working around different crew meal preferences at Cengiz Topel Airport, I asked for mini sandwiches and individual desserts in portions appropriate for our 7 passengers. For VIP flight catering, that attention to catering handover made the order noticeably easier to manage. The Galley Girls labelled the breakfast portions in line with our brief, so the cabin team could identify the relevant portions quickly. I found the starters without searching through every box, a small detail that mattered during the final cabin checks.”
“Our priority at LTBQ was grilled salmon with a lemon dressing for 7 passengers, with a changing departure schedule shaping the service plan. We discussed the dimensions before confirming; The Galley Girls grouped the fruit plates into individual containers that were easy to handle. We placed the crew provisions in their planned storage area without first having to reorganise all the catering boxes. I appreciated the emphasis on final order confirmation throughout the charter flight catering arrangements.”
“The cabin briefing at KCO included 3 passenger meals, a request for fresh fruit and breakfast pastries, and instructions addressing a family lunch request. The Galley Girls updated the main courses in the written order and sent back a confirmation that clearly showed our amendments. The note about the canapés was easy to spot, and we could brief the rest of the team quickly. For private jet food, that attention to final order confirmation made the order noticeably easier to manage.”
Costs here vary with the item: a plate of Izmit pişmaniye is one thing, a chilled seafood platter for eight another. Quotes come per menu, and local products usually help.
Allergen free meals rely on clean boards and clear labels. Tell us early about hazelnut or sesame, the usual Kocaeli allergens, and we confirm lead time with you. Last-minute orders are handled.
Agricultural products often draw attention at customs. Honey, cheese and meat from Kocaeli should be declared. On two-service legs, we split the load by service for easy checks.
Bringing food on a night flight is allowed, but cold boxes and hot dishes need handling. We deliver to your FBO or handling agent so the galley is stocked before boarding.
No, catering is separate from the charter. For the type you fly into Cengiz Topel, we adapt the menu to its galley and invoice it as a standalone order.
Tail, pax and diets — a flight attendant takes it from there, day or night.
