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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 Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Münster/Osnabrück, Leipzig/Halle andPaderborn. The five facilities serve approximately 18,000 flights total a year, with Düsseldorf the largest single unit at approximately 10,000 flights annually.

The five-city operation, which is formally named SCK DUS GmbH& Co KG Düsseldorf, is a joint venture between Air Berlin and SCK Sky Catering Kitchen GmbH Bordverpflegung & Co Service KG, Ulm.

“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 gategroup President and CEO Designate Guy Dubois, the umbrella brand representing Gate Gourmet and ten other brands.

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