At the beginning of this month Singapore Airlines began partnering with AeroFarms to have a fresh produce supply for its business class meals out of Newark Liberty International. Don't let the name fool you - the company name has nothing to do with aviation. Rather, it's because the 'farm' uses aeroponic technology. At its facilities, food is grown in vertically stacked layers just miles from Newark's airport. This will allow Singapore Airlines to deliver a high-quality dining experience with incredibly fresh ingredients.
The farm to plane concept
"We wanted to be more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint by using hyper-local produce, and we wanted the in-flight food to taste as vibrant as possible," he says. "We're always trying to innovate when it comes to on-board dining so AeroFarms was a great fit." -Antony McNeil, Food and beverage director for Singapore Airlines.
This farm-to-plane concept has been in development internally at Singapore Airlines for nearly two years. This adoption has two aims: enhanced passenger experience and a lower carbon footprint.
Exclusive to passengers with a business class ticket from Newark to Singapore, guests will enjoy extremely fresh produce that is grown just a few miles from the airport.
"The produce will make its way into the dishes within hours and up to no more than a few days of being harvested and delivered to our kitchens," says James Boyd, spokesperson for Singapore Airlines.
According to CNN, Singapore Airlines says that the airline aims to introduce AeroFarms' produce to premium economy class riders eventually.
The produce available
CNN also reports that the farm-fresh collaboration between Singapore and AeroFarms will have a focus on dark leafy varietals. This includes leafy greens such as baby arugula, kale, mustard greens and bok choy; vegetables that are rich in vitamins and nutrients and known for their crisp, clean taste. Come December, the salad will include AeroFarms Baby Pak Choi, zucchini ribbons and Japanese pumpkin or sweet potatoes.
The airline, for the most part, sources the majority of its produce for the daily Newark-Singapore route from more distant sources such as California and Mexico.
The route and flight
The Newark to Singapore route is widely known as the world's longest flight for which Singapore Airlines uses an Airbus A350-900ULR. The quirky aspect of this service is that it only flies business and premium economy class passengers. This flight covers a distance of approximately 15,350 km in about 18 and 1/2 hours.
Conclusion
Singapore Airlines' will be eager to partner with more farms in its other major US markets according to their spokesperson. This could be either vertical or traditional farms. CNN speculates that destinations like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle could be next.
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