Bangkok--5 Feb--Thai Airways Responding to growing demand from thousands of Muslim travelers every day, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited today (1st February 2008), signed an MoU with the Islamic Committee of Samut Prakarn Province to receive permission for usage of the Halal Logo by Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. This means that Thai Airways International’s “Halal” kitchen is now fully certified to ensure conformity with the permissible dietary requirements under Islamic law. “Halal” food is the Islamic equivalent of the Jewish “kosher” food, and has to meet its regulatory standards at every step from purchasing to production and preparation. The “Halal” kitchen set up by THAI Catering Services operates as an entirely separate unit from the regular catering facility at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The kitchen earlier received the Halal Food Certificate from the Institute for Halal Food Standard of Thailand (Halal Thai), on 1 January 2008. THAI flies daily to numerous cities in countries with large Islamic populations, such as UAE, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam and Indian’s destinations. In addition to the demand from Muslim passengers, THAI also provides meals for 10 customer airlines, which are national carriers of Islamic-majority countries. Total demand is for an estimated 5,000 Halal meals per day, with more growth projected in future. Mrs. Pismai Chandrubeksa, Managing Director, Catering Services, said that meeting the special dietary requirements of its passengers is a very important part of the airline’s customer service. Demand has been growing steadily over the years to the point where it became necessary to set up a Halal Kitchen as a separate unit from the regular kitchen in its own right. This now allows a complete separation of facilities and processes, including the mixture of ingredients and spices, seasoning, food storage, pantry area and other requirements. Training is provided for non-Muslim staff for the proper monitoring and preparation of Halal food during the workday. THAI’s Halal Kitchen has received ISO9002 certification, guaranteeing cleanliness and safety of materials used and is also certified for HALAL Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP, Hazard Analysis and Critical Central Point or HACCP from the scientific center of Chulalongkorn University, which acted as the consultant of Halal Kitchen. THAI’s Halal Kitchen has also been inspected by the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. Mrs Pismai says that Thai Airways can now assure that every step in Halal meal preparation is adhered to, as follows: - Mixture ingredients, spices, and seasoning must be certified - Every production step must adhere to Halal regulations - The area must be clean, safe, and non-contaminated - Equipment used must be clean and follow Halal requirements - Storage and transportation must be separated from the general section - Washing procedures must be in accordance with Islamic law Although the facility is presently available for flights operating out of Suvarnabhumi Airport, there are plans in future to extend it to THAI’s Catering at Don Mueang Airport to serve passengers travelling on domestic flights. For further information and reservations, passengers may contact THAI’s 24-hour Call Center at tel. 0-2356-1111.