Thursday, May 16, 2013

By Rory Jones

DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--Dnata, the airline services division of Emirates Group, has bought the 50% stake it didn't already own in an Italian airline-catering company, taking its total shareholding to 100%, Dnata said in a statement Thursday.

Previously, Milan-based Servair Airchef, part of Chef Italia Group, was equally owned by Alpha, a Dnata subsidiary, and Air France Group, according to the company's website. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed.

"The Italian business complements our existing in-flight catering and cabin cleaning operations around the world," Stewart Angus, divisional senior vice president, said in the emailed statement.

Servair Airchef has a presence in 23 airports in Italy, including Rome, Milan and Venice. It employs 700 employees and produces 40,000 meals daily, the statement added.

Write to Rory Jones at rory.jones@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

16-05-13 1416GMT