Gate Gourmet to Buy Five Airline Catering Units in Germany

ZURICH, Switzerland, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Gate Gourmet, the world's largest independent airline catering and logistics provider and a member of gategroup, has agreed to purchase airline catering units in five cities from Air Berlin and SCK Sky Catering Kitchen GmbH.

In addition, Air Berlin, Germany's second largest airline and the third largest carrier in the European leisure market, has agreed to a new long-term catering contract with Gate Gourmet in Germany and the rest of Europe.

The flight kitchens included in the transaction are located at Dusseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Munster/Osnabruck, Leipzig/Halle and Paderborn. The five facilities serve approximately 18,000 flights total a year, with Dusseldorf the largest single unit at approximately 10,000 flights annually.

The five-city operation, which is formally named SCK DUS GmbH & Co KG Dusseldorf, is a joint venture between Air Berlin and SCK Sky Catering Kitchen GmbH Bordverpflegung & Co Service KG, Ulm. SCK Sky Catering Kitchen GmbH Bordverpflegung & Co Service KG, Ulm continues to operate its facilities in several other German cities.

"We are very pleased to include these five facilities into the Gate Gourmet portfolio. They are an important strategic addition to our network, and we see them as a key acquisition in our long-term strategy to secure Gate Gourmet's position in the German airline catering market," said Guy Dubois, President and CEO Designate of gategroup, the umbrella brand representing Gate Gourmet and 10 other brands.

"The addition of Air Berlin's catering business at its busy Dusseldorf hub and the new multi-year contract with the airline elsewhere significantly strengthens our relationship with this fast-growing and innovative European carrier," said Philippe Op de Beeck, gategroup Senior Vice President & President of the Central Europe, Middle East & Africa region.

"With Gate Gourmet, Air Berlin found a global partner that perfectly suits our worldwide flight network. The optimized purchasing will grant us synergetic effects," said Thomas Ney, Senior Executive Inflight Service Air Berlin Group.

The transaction is subject to review by competition authorities in Germany. Terms of the agreement are confidential.

Gate Gourmet was founded in 1992 and has dual headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and Reston, VA, USA. The company has substantially expanded through acquisitions, leading to the creation of gategroup, the leading global provider of above-the-wing services representing 11 brands. gategroup's portfolio integrates the world-class competencies of partner companies in three areas -- catering and hospitality, airport handling and logistics, and in-flight solutions. Visit http://www.gategroup.com for more information.

Air Berlin is Germany's second largest and the fourth largest airline in Europe. The airline was founded in 1978 and has been enjoying steady growth ever since. Air Berlin operates flights to major cities throughout the world, as well as to the most popular holiday destinations. The airline also has a dense network of domestic flights between German cities. The attractive pricing and service levels appeal to the business as well as to the leisure traveler. Air Berlin's consistently high service has already won it a clutch of awards from consumers and travel professionals. Besides Air Berlin, the Air Berlin Group comprises the Austrian airline NIKi (24%), the Swiss airline Belair (49%), Munich-based airline dba (100%) and, since March 2007, also the Dusseldorf-based LTU (100%). In 2007, the Air Berlin Group carried 27.9 million passengers (27.862.507). Air Berlin currently operates 124 aircraft and has over 8,000 employees. Visit http://www.airberlin.com for more information.