Air France will again show its culinary expertise, tapping Michelin-starred French Chef, Olivier Chaignon for inflight cuisine on routes from Japan. Starting in January 2025, La Première and Business passengers flying from Osaka-Kansai or Tokyo-Haneda to Paris can enjoy curated, cabin-specific menus. Each seating class gets 12 exclusive dishes.
Olivier Chaignon’s creations blend French and Japanese influences
Olivier Chaignon blended his French savoir-faire with local Japanese produce for his Japan to Paris menus. The recipes include fish, poultry, meat, and vegetarian options. Air France’s collaboration with Chaignon is the first time a French Chef has designed menus for Japan departures. The chef said: “For Air France customers, I wanted to create elegant, gourmet cuisine, showcasing Japanese produce while retaining a French taste and spirit”.
La Première passengers can savor a maki-style seabass with champagne sauce, potatoes with shiso flowers and fresh cheese gnocchi, or a blanquette-style veal dish with truffle Yukitsubaki rice and a bouquet of vegetables.
Business passengers can try a potato gnocchi accompanied by aubergine caviar and stuffed grilled courgettes or prawns, lobster jus with aniseed, with simmered vegetables and green pasta.
The new menu builds on Air France’s partnerships with other leading French chefs on its long-haul routes from Paris. La Première passengers get menus from triple Michelin-starred chef Emmanuel Renaut, and Claire Heitzler, Gault & Millau’s elected pastry chef of the year. In Business class, triple Michelin-starred chef Jérôme Banctel joined forces with Nina Métayer, ‘World’s Best Pastry Chef 2023’. Lastly, the Premium cabin uses recipes from Michelin-starred chef Frédéric Simonin.
Additionally, to cut down on food waste, Business passengers can pre-order their meals. That offers the best of both worlds, with customers getting their preferred meal, and fairer on-board consumption. Air France passengers will get plenty of opportunities to try the new menu, with the airline operating 3 weekly flights to Osaka-Kansai and 14 weekly flights to Tokyo-Haneda from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
