Catering to your aircraft in Isle of Islay.
A small terminal, a single runway and a malt-whisky calendar: EGPI is a field where the galley matters more than the menu. We pack by seat and hand over where you tell us.
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.
The western isles give Islay its pantry, and a private jet menu for EGPI is built from it: shellfish, smoked salmon, venison, island cheese, with a peat-smoked note that nods to the distilleries along the shore. The inflight menu is drawn for a galley rather than a dining room, so each dish arrives with its finish decided: chilled, oven, or sauce apart.
Private jet food on Islay follows the weather and the festival calendar. Summer asks for berries and light seafood; winter moves toward venison, roots and warm puddings. Private jet platters take the cold courses, gourmet inflight meals the hot ones, and private jet snacks such as oatcakes, shortbread and dark chocolate cover the gaps. Among the local specialities, Cullen skink and cranachan travel best, and every portion is packed per passenger and marked by 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.
Whisky week, Fèis Ìle and the quiet shoulder seasons set the pace at Islay Airport, and private jet catering follows them. For EGPI we pack for the galley on your tail: inflight catering built from langoustine, smoked salmon and Islay cheese, in-flight catering that re-plates cold or finishes in the oven. Aviation catering and business aviation catering reach the aircraft through your handling agent. Executive jet catering and diplomatic flight catering run on the same terms, and cabin crew meals are on request, invoiced with the order.
Business jet catering at Islay is usually a quick brief: a few guests, a corporate jet or turboprop, a stop that may be tied to a distillery visit or a shoot. Corporate jet catering and VIP flight catering follow the same order: charter flight catering with luxury inflight catering touches, a private jet chef who writes a bespoke menu around Scottish seafood and the galley on your tail.
Government flight catering at Islay is rare but real, and head of state flight catering follows protocol: menus cleared in advance, a named team, discretion at the aircraft. VIP aviation catering and state visit aircraft catering are planned with your handling agent from the first email.
At Islay Airport the dietary question is mostly about what the island kitchen touches: shellfish, oats, barley and dairy sit close together here. Kosher, halal, vegan and gluten free orders are cooked on separate boards and packed in sealed boxes marked by seat. Allergen free meals and kids meals follow the same procedure, and special meals from a pre-cleared list are confirmed with the passenger sheet before anything is cooked.
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 on an Islay turnaround, flight crew meals come in boxes that stack in a small galley. Pilot meals and cockpit meals are packed apart from guest trays; crew catering is ordered on request and invoiced with the order. Crew meal boxes can carry different meals for pilots, and cabin crew meals ride in their own box.
FBO catering at Islay is delivered to the FBO or through the general aviation terminal, with your handling agent opening the apron. Catering delivery to the FBO is planned to your slot. Ground handling catering and handling agent catering share one contact: tell us the tail and the stand.
Islay Airport handles smaller business jets and turboprops, so galley catering here is packed for a low door and a compact cabin: trolleys are rarely needed, cool bags and lidded boxes are. Airside catering delivery goes through your handling agent to the aircraft, and aircraft provisioning is planned around the galley fitted to your tail, with oven, no oven or drawer-only stated up front. If your type needs a high loader, say so when you order.
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.
Islay Airport is the island's only commercial field, with a single terminal and general aviation traffic alongside scheduled flights. Airport catering for business jets here is a small, personal operation, with FBO services and ground handling services working from the same building.
Islay is a seasonal business aviation hub: summer visitors, festival weeks and quiet winters. Inflight catering and in-flight catering follow the calendar, while aviation catering, business aviation catering and executive jet catering are packed per seat. Diplomatic flight catering is planned with your handling agent, while cabin crew meals are added to the order on request.
Flights from outside the UK are subject to UK import rules on meat, dairy and fresh produce, and Islay follows them at the terminal. Domestic legs carry no extra food rules. We pack to the origin of your flight and tell you what can stay on board.
Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.
“Small packing details became important at Islay Airport: our 3 passengers wanted poached fish with steamed rice, and we had a late menu amendment. We changed the quantities of canapés, and The Galley Girls reflected the request in the final packing list. We checked the sandwiches against the same summary, keeping the cabin team and the handling contact aligned. I want an aviation catering company to understand crew briefing, and this order gave us a useful starting point.”
“Good preparation made the difference at EGPI, where 3 guests expected mushroom risotto and a green salad despite a changing departure schedule. I asked The Galley Girls for the desserts in clearly marked packs, with garnishes supplied separately for plating on board. When comparing aviation catering companies, I would look closely at packing arrangement after this experience. It made a difference to have the side dishes ready without cluttering the galley work area during preparation.”
“Several practical details needed attention at ILY, with a charcuterie board and fresh bread requested for 9 guests and two separate meal services to accommodate. This experience of flight catering gave us a useful reference for managing catering handover on another departure. The starters came from The Galley Girls in shallow trays, with a packing list that matched the contents. I could hand the snack boxes to a colleague with a short explanation instead of unpacking the whole order.”
Empty-cabin repositioning into Islay usually means crew meals only, so the order stays small: a few boxes, one or two hot dishes, drinks. How much does private jet catering cost on that leg depends on the dishes you pick; smoked salmon plates cost more than oatcake and cheese boxes.
When the crew cannot wait, lead time becomes a question of fixing the handover point early: FBO, handling agent or aircraft steps. Islay is a single-terminal field, so that conversation is quick and last-minute orders are taken.
Seasonal weather at Islay decides when you leave, and customs decides what may stay on board after an international arrival. Domestic UK flights face no extra food rules; tell us the origin and we pack accordingly.
You can, but a two-service leg is where our packing helps: the first service cold, the second finished in the oven, each marked by seat. Personal food from home is your call; customs rules on meat and dairy apply if you arrive from abroad.
Not in the charter itself. Catering for Islay is requested when you book the flight, priced by menu, and delivered on your slot. A long turnaround adds time to finish dishes; a short one favours chilled plates.
Tail, pax and diets — a flight attendant takes it from there, day or night.
