Air Astana backs food charity Surplus to Supper

Tuesday 27th October 2020

Air Astana  is pleased to be supporting local UK food charity Surplus to Supper  www.surplustosupper.org  with the donation of 5,000 individual pots of chocolate mousse and salted caramel cheesecakes.

The airline’s signature Lily O’Brien mousses and cheesecakes would typically be served on board the airline’s regular flights from London Heathrow Airport and Nur-Sultan.

“With our direct services from the UK temporarily suspended owing to the coronavirus pandemic, we didn’t want these delicious desserts to go to waste.  We heard about the terrific voluntary work of this local charity and contacted them about distributing our desserts to local food banks, charities and schools,” said Air Astana  Catering Manager Graham Hobbs.

Air Astana ’s inflight caterer at London Heathrow, Royal Blue Executive Services, facilitated the logistics.

“They are so many families in need in our region and our committed volunteers ensure food is delivered to where it is most needed,” said Surplus to Supper Operations Director Claire Hopkins. “We are extremely grateful to Air Astana  for their generosity.  These  desserts will be well received, especially during the half term holiday.”

Based in Sunbury, Surplus to Supper is a three-year-old charity created to bridge the gap between food waste and food poverty.  It has been very active since the crisis, supported by local businesses and housing associations, regularly distributing surplus food in the most sustainable way – within a radius of five miles.  Surplus to Supper also produces meals with donated fresh produce.

Its territory comprises Heathrow, Ashford, Spelthorne, Richmond and Hampton.

Markku Koppinen, Trustee and volunteer driver from Surplus to Supper (left) accepts Air Astana  desserts from​ Stephen Cowley, Executive Chef from Royal Blue.

About Air Astana

Air Astana , the national carrier of Kazakhstan, operates domestic and international flights from hubs in Nur-Sultan and Almaty. The company was incorporated in late 2001 and commenced operations on 15th May 2002. The Air Astana  fleet consists of Boeing 767/757, Airbus A320 Family aircraft including A320neo, A321neo and A321LR and Embraer E190 / E190-E2.

Air Astana  became the first carrier from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe to be awarded the prestigious 4-Star rating by Skytrax at the World Airline Awards in 2012 and was also named ‘The Best Airline in Central Asia and India’ that year. Both achievements were repeated every year through until 2019. Air Astana  has also received TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards in the “Regional Carrier in Asia” and “Passenger Comfort” categories for the past three years and a 5-Star in the “Major Regional Airlines” category from APEX in 2019.