Toulouse is a city in the south of France famed as much for its pink terracotta architecture as its culinary specialties – cassoulet, foie gras and violet-flavoured sweets, to name a few.

Crucially, the region represents the epicentre of French aviation, boasting Airbus’ principal engineering and production facilities, as well as the bases of several major aerospace companies.

It is in this environment that the Airline Catering Association (ACA) Leadership Symposium 2026 took place, bringing together key stakeholders in the airline catering industry to discuss emerging trends at a conference that marked ACA’s largest to date.

Future developments in airline catering

Jonathan Stent-Torriani, chairman of Newrest and ACA president, welcomed attendees at FirstName Toulouse alongside Fabio Gamba, managing director of ACA.

The keynote address was subsequently given by Nicolas Dubois, director of Civil Aviation Safety at DGAC. He pointed out that the French have six fine arts: painting, sculpture, music, poetry, architecture, and importantly, cooking.

Providing an overview of the history of food logistics and preservation, from Roman and Napoleonic conquest of territories to today, Dubois emphasised the transformational impact of aviation on the catering industry before outlining major drivers for the future of airline catering.

This includes the growing number of safety, security and environmental regulations, as well as the emergence of huge potential markets, with five billion passengers travelling by air worldwide in 2025.

He warned that stakeholders must prepare for new security and safety directives to be introduced in 2028, including the removal of derogations related to weight which could result in the inspection of thousands more cargo containers.

On the subject of tightening regulations, Dubois stressed that the Toulouse Declaration recognises the need for decarbonisation of aviation by 2050, requiring the advancement of innovations such as SAF, electrification, and hydrogen technology.

“There are very few industries that operate under such layered requirements,” he said.

He outlined five possible scenarios to arise in the future as a result of these demands: hyper-industrial efficiency driven by rising passenger numbers and cost pressure, a focus on premium experience and the  use of catering for differentiation, ultra-risk management due to health and security threats, heavy environmental constraints following heightened eco-consciousness among passengers, and digital transformation reliant on passenger data and predictive analytics.

“One thing is for sure, the future will be what you, in this room, will make of it,” he said.

Building connections

In a first for ACA, the Pitch Galley, described as a ‘dragon’s den’ style event, took place in order to offer small businesses as well as well-established companies the opportunity to connect with major players in the sector, with 14 companies taking part.

Moreover, the afternoon featured three insightful panels, covering topics from airlines’ perspectives on market drivers in catering to sustainability, automation and supply chains. The panels included representatives from major airlines and catering leadership.

The conference ended with a tour of the Airbus facilites in Toulouse, providing a unique opportunity for participants to witness the inner workings of the largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the world.

Attendees learnt about the central role of the Airbus Beluga in transporting aircraft parts around Europe, as well as Airbus’ target to use 100% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.

Significant growth of ACA

It was announced that Christoph Schmitz, founding member of ACA and chief executive officer of gategroup, the biggest airline catering company in world, has accepted the presidency of the organisation, which changes each year.

Moreover, the event marked the departure of Fabio Gamba, who has spearheaded the development of ACA since 2018.

Mr Gamba remarked on the high level of growth that took place in the organisation over the course of a year; ACA started 2025 with 16 members and ended it with 22 members, while associate members increased from 12 to 23.

He highlighted ACA’s aim to represent the majority of airline catering companies around the world, adding: “I would not be surprised if in five years from now, ACA will not just double in size, but triple or quadruple.”