01
Wide-body & private jet
From a light jet to a full 777, one caterer, one standard
Aviation catering — Gelephu, Bhutan
VIP & private jet catering with airline catering at Gelephu (VQGP / GLU)
GLU (IATA) · VQGP (ICAO)
On a 1500 m runway rated for narrow-body aircraft, Gelephu takes scheduled, charter, VIP and government movements through a single ops desk. Inflight catering here is boarded by hi-loader to galley height rather than left at the foot of the aircraft, and in-flight catering for multi-leg rotations is planned against that one wide-body stand rather than guessed at.
1,500 m
Longest runway
Narrow-body
Largest aircraft handled
1
Runways
02
VIP at any volume
8 First covers or 400 passengers across three cabins, same execution
03
24/7 order desk
Ad hoc, AOG and same-day uplift answered around the clock
04
Multi-leg coordination
One loading sheet, every leg of your rotation
On the apron — Gelephu
Commercial aviation catering at wide-body scale, GLU
Everything below is what we measure at this station — distances, windows, who signs what.
Inflight catering order window at Gelephu
Aircraft catering handover at the galley door, Gelephu
The sealed cart at our kitchen is the start point, and the galley door at Gelephu is the end point, with every step between logged rather than assumed. Ramp access governs how the cart reaches the aircraft: we cross the apron on our own clearance instead of handing the load to a third party at the foot of the steps. That single wide-body stand at GLU sets the pace of the whole sequence, so the catering uplift is scheduled to it rather than to a generic slot.
Between our kitchen and the one wide-body stand at Gelephu sit screening, an escort across the apron, and the ordinary traffic of a narrow-body field, and we plan the galley catering run against the worst of those rather than the best. Chain of custody starts at the seal on the cart and does not break until a signature is taken at the galley door, with a temperature log opened at sealing and closed again at handover. That catering uplift is timed to the narrow-body reference code held at VQGP, so the convoy carries the risk, never the food, and the paperwork travels with the cart the whole way.
One coordinator, one sealed cart, one signature — the load is never out of custody.
Cargo crew meals and passenger uplifts for Gelephu airport
Airline food supplier crews cleared for GLU
Airport catering at Gelephu is planned around the single narrow-body stand rather than a bank of gates, which keeps the routing between our kitchen and the aircraft short and repeatable. Hot production, pastry, a cold larder and a protocol line sit under one roof, and airport catering built this way lets tray sets and passenger meal boxes move to the stand without a second handling point. Every batch leaving that kitchen for VQGP runs to HACCP, logged on the cold chain from the moment it is sealed.
The team cleared for government flight catering at Gelephu is the same named crew on every rotation, not a rotating pool drawn in as traffic requires. Security clearance is held on file and checked against an access list before anyone reaches the ramp, and training runs to royal household standards as well as to the paperwork a sealed uplift carries. That continuity is what a protocol officer checks first, and at GLU it is fixed rather than assembled per flight.
VIP flight catering and dietary sets at Gelephu (GLU)
Royal flight catering standards per cabin at VQGP
Menus at Gelephu are written to the cabin and the mission first, and only then to the season, so a scheduled rotation and a government movement are never served from the same plan. Bhutanese dairy, orchard fruit and river fish inform the seasonal set without naming a single dish or a source, kept general the way a production specification is kept general. Inflight catering in Bhutan is built from that base, adapted upward for VVIP and business work and downward for high-volume main cabin service on the same day. Every set closes on documented allergen, halal, kosher and medical requirements, labelled per passenger and per cabin before it leaves the kitchen.
First & VVIP cabins
First and VVIP cabins at Gelephu are plated to a written specification rather than a fixed menu, with à-la-carte service and caviar available on request from the same production line. VIP flight catering here is filed against the standing order, so a repeat rotation is served to the same standard without a fresh brief each time.
Business cabins
Business cabins at VQGP run on multi-choice hot service, sized to oven-ready formats that match the galley fitted to the aircraft rather than a generic tray. Crew meals, cabin crew meals and pilot meals are boxed separately to the roster, so a business-cabin order and a flight-deck order never share a tray by mistake.
Protocol & dietary
Protocol and dietary requirements at GLU are documented per passenger, covering halal and kosher sets alongside the full range of IATA special meal codes. Inflight catering built to those codes is produced on a separate line and sealed before it leaves it, so a household or medical requirement never crosses a general-service tray.
The three books
01
Royal & Government Flights
Royal households · government · state operations
- Plated service · First to main cabin
- Protocol handling · security clearance
02
Charter & Commercial
Charter · ACMI · group · scheduled · ad hoc
- 400 passengers · one uplift
- HACCP cold chain, logged to the galley door
03
Private Jet
Business jet · VVIP charter · flight departments
- From 8 covers · plated forward
- Reheat sequence specified per dish
Compliance
Cold chain and HACCP for aircraft catering at Gelephu, Bhutan
HACCP
HACCP cold chain
Produced in our own certified kitchens, temperature logged end to end.
Clearance
Cleared personnel
Security-cleared staff, badged airside vehicles, escorted where the stand requires it.
Custody
Sealed chain of custody
Carts sealed at the kitchen, seals verified and handovers signed at the aircraft.
Allergens
Documented allergen sets
Allergen, halal, kosher and medical requirements documented per uplift and per passenger.
Flight catering airside delivery at VQGP / GLU
Gelephu works a mixed traffic profile across one narrow-body reference code, which means a scheduled rotation, a charter and an occasional government movement can share the same wide-body stand on different days rather than different terminals. That single stand turns a delegation into a documentation problem before it becomes a capacity one, since the paperwork has to be right the first time with no second gate to fall back on.
Airline catering, in-flight catering and aviation catering for GLU all route from one kitchen to that one stand, with airside delivery covering the final metres rather than a handover at a perimeter fence. Aviation catering at Gelephu is loaded by hi-loader to galley height, with our own escort covering the apron crossing rather than leaving the cart to find its own way across.
What we commit to on this station is the same everywhere: one coordinator named to the rotation, carts sealed at the kitchen, and a signed handover at the stand, airline catering in Gelephu included, airport catering in Bhutan more broadly, with in-flight catering at Gelephu never leaving custody until that signature is taken.
Scheduled, charter and VVIP catering at VQGP / GLU
01
Government and state flight catering at GLU
The 1500 m runway at Gelephu limits the movement to narrow-body types, and that in turn keeps a head of state aircraft on the same single stand as any other rotation rather than a separate apron. Government flight catering here is sealed before it leaves the kitchen, with the protocol file documented per passenger and staff cleared against an access list before the cart moves.
Government & state flights →
02
Royal and VVIP flight catering at Gelephu
The narrow-body reference code at Gelephu still takes a private airliner configured as a BBJ or an ACJ, and our crews hold royal flight catering to a written household specification kept on file between movements rather than rebuilt each time. Halal and other household dietary requirements are produced against that same file on request, so a repeat rotation is served without a fresh brief.
Royal & VVIP flights →
03
Charter and ACMI flight catering at VQGP
A narrow-body reference code governs Gelephu, and it still carries group movements, ACMI and wet-lease work and special missions across a full three-cabin uplift on the one wide-body stand. Charter flight catering at Gelephu is counted against the loading sheet and staged in galley order, with charter flight catering in Bhutan more broadly following the same sequence rather than a one per operator.
Wide-body charter →
04
Airline and ad hoc catering at GLU
The 1500 m runway at Gelephu sets what can be worked on short notice, so ad hoc airline catering here is planned around the narrow-body types that stand can actually take. Outstation catering, diversion catering and technical stop catering all route through the same duty roster, with AOG covered on the same multi-leg rotation rather than a separate call-out.
Commercial airlines →
05
Private jet and FBO catering at Gelephu
A business jet configured for narrow-body operations is exactly what the 1500 m runway at Gelephu is built to take, which is why our dedicated private-jet branch works the GA terminal and the FBOs on the field from the same kitchen as the airline side. Private jet catering in Bhutan runs on the same cold chain and the same paperwork as any wide-body uplift, delivered through the ramp handler rather than left at a gate.
Private jets →
Charter flight catering trusted at VQGP
Protocol officers on government flight catering at Gelephu airport
Government flight department
Royal household
Charter operator
Scheduled airline
“We had a last-minute schedule change into Gelephu (GLU/VQGP) and needed contingency catering. Even with the late change, the meals were packed correctly and delivered within the revised window. Good support when timing is the main pressure point. The final handover was simple and there was nothing for the crew to correct before departure.”
★★★★★Government flight department
Kareem — Government Flight Operations Manager
“We needed airline catering at outstations for a flight through Gelephu (GLU/VQGP) and the process was much easier than expected. It felt like working with a regular station supplier even though this was not one of our usual airports. A solid solution for outstation operations. The final handover was simple and there was nothing for the crew to correct before departure.”
★★★★★Charter operator
Haris — Network Operations Coordinator
“We requested an airline catering cost per meal for Gelephu (GLU/VQGP) and appreciated how clear the pricing was. Pricing, delivery timing, and packaging were all explained upfront, which helped us approve the uplift quickly. The clear communication made the booking easy. Updates were timely and the final delivery matched the confirmation we had from operations.”
★★★★★Charter operator
Adriana — Cargo Dispatch Coordinator
Airport catering reference for Gelephu (VQGP / GLU)
| Datum | Value |
|---|---|
| Longest runway | 1,500 m |
| Runways | 1 |
| Aerodrome reference code | narrow-body |
| ICAO | VQGP |
Business jet catering questions at Gelephu (GLU)
Crew meals, lead times and access at Gelephu (GLU)
What operations gets asked every week about Gelephu.
Ask operations directly →Whose lead time governs an order change at GLU?
For a scheduled rotation the specification can move up until the loading window opens, and last minute airline catering is worked case by case against the roster. How far in advance to confirm depends on the cabin count and any special meal codes attached to the order.
Is private jet catering delivered to the FBOs at VQGP?
The coordinator on duty routes private jet catering to every FBO on the field and to the GA terminal, not to a single preferred handler. FBO catering runs on the same cold chain and the same sealed carts as an airline uplift, so the paperwork travels identically.
When is a figure given for airline catering cost at Gelephu?
Once the cabin count, the specification and the loading window are confirmed, the desk returns a quotation rather than a published rate. Airline catering cost at this station depends on those three factors and on whether special meal codes are attached to the order.
Which method gets airline catering onto the aircraft at Gelephu Airport?
The hi-loader lifts the sealed cart to galley height, so airside delivery ends at the galley door rather than at the foot of the steps. That same route is used whether the load is a scheduled rotation, a charter or a government movement.
Aviation catering at airports near Gelephu
PBH / VQPR
Paro
Bhutan · 118 km from Gelephu
Airline & VIP flight catering →
GAU / VEGT
Guwahati
India · 141 km from Gelephu
Airline & VIP flight catering →
SPD / VGSD
Saidpur
Bangladesh · 199 km from Gelephu
Airline & VIP flight catering →
Inflight catering quote for Gelephu (GLU)
Request a quote
Send us your catering needs for GLU
Gelephu (GLU / VQGP)
Give us the aircraft and what goes on board. A coordinator comes back with a quote for Gelephu, not a brochure.
orders@aerogourmet.com · operations desk, 24/7
Four steps
Flight
Aircraft · stand · local time
Offloading
Return leg, if any
Order
Counts · menus · files
Contact
Who we come back to
Uplift at Gelephu (GLU)