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Air France is committed to offering its customers a fine French dining experience. But do you know when the first hot meals were served on board?​

Air France is committed to offering its customers a fine French dining experience. But do you know when the first hot meals were served on board?

In 1927, Air Union – one of Air France's founding airlines in 1933 - offered a cold meal on board, prepared by the Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits. The experiment, however, was expensive and short-lived. When it was created, Air France offered a more modest service, but started putting on a bigger spread after the war, especially from 1949 onwards. On September 30 of that year - 70 years ago - it served its first hot meals. Prepared by the brand new SHO, Orly's catering service, the meals were prepared by four famous chefs of the time: Marcel Chémery, Gaston Chatelet, Roger Guérard and Fernand Deveaux. The hot dishes were delivered in thermos pots, which had stacked compartments. Each meal was served on a Limoges porcelain plate. Then, with the arrival of the Super Constellation, ovens were installed on board, allowing passengers to choose from a wider range of dishes. This refined cuisine undoubtedly contributed to Air France's success, which has since established itself as an ambassador for "French lifestyle".

Today, the greatest Michelin-starred chefs create delicious and varied dishes for Business and La Première customers, to make mealtime a unique moment of pleasure and discovery.