Commercial Aircraft Galley Equipment

The galley as part of the aircraft

On a commercial transport aircraft the galley is not furniture added to the cabin. It is a certified installation, designed with the cabin layout and approved as part of the aircraft. The structure bolted to the floor is usually called a galley monument: a shell that carries the trolley bays, stowage compartments, worktops and the electrical, potable water and waste water services. Functional units such as ovens, beverage makers and chillers are then fitted into it as galley inserts.

Galleys are typically placed at the forward, mid and aft positions of the cabin, next to the doors where catering is loaded. How many there are, and how large, depends on the aircraft type and on the airline's cabin configuration, so the same aircraft model can leave the factory with very different galley layouts.

For equipment, this has one important consequence: every item in the galley has to be compatible with the certified monument it goes into. A trolley has to match the bay, an insert has to match its compartment and connectors, and any change to the installation is a change to the aircraft.

The rules that shape commercial galley equipment

Three sets of requirements have the most direct effect on what can be installed. The references below are to the US Federal Aviation Regulations for transport-category aeroplanes (14 CFR Part 25); the European certification specifications for large aeroplanes, CS-25, contain corresponding paragraphs.

Flammability of galley structure

14 CFR 25.853 governs compartment interiors. On aeroplanes with a passenger capacity of 20 or more, galley structure must meet the heat release and smoke emission tests in parts IV and V of appendix F, in addition to the general flammability requirements for cabin materials. Galley structure explicitly includes the exposed surfaces of stowed carts and standard containers, and the cavity walls that are exposed when a full complement of carts or containers is not carried. In other words, a trolley bay has to meet the requirement whether or not the trolley is in it.

Emergency landing loads

14 CFR 25.561 sets the ultimate inertia forces the structure must withstand in an emergency landing: 3.0 g upward, 9.0 g forward, 3.0 g sideward on the airframe and 4.0 g on the seats, 6.0 g downward and 1.5 g rearward. Items of mass in the cabin must be positioned so that, if they break loose, they cannot injure occupants, damage fuel systems or block escape routes, or they must be restrained against those loads. A loaded meal trolley or an oven is exactly that kind of item, which is why carts and inserts are held in their stowage by latches and retention devices.

Carts, containers and associated components

FAA technical standard order TSO-C175 covers galley carts, containers and associated components. It adopts SAE AS8056, Minimum Design and Performance of Airplane Galley In-Flight Carts, Containers, and Associated Components, as its minimum performance standard, with FAA modifications. SAE ARP4171 sets out safety considerations for food and beverage service carts. A cart or container sourced for a commercial aircraft is therefore expected to come with the approval and documentation that show it meets that standard.

Power, water and waste

A commercial aircraft supplies its galley with 115 V AC at 400 Hz. The high frequency keeps alternators and transformers small and light, and galley inserts are built for it. Galley inserts are also connected to the aircraft's potable water system and to its waste water system, and ARINC 810 standardises those couplings along with the electrical connector, dimensions and installation of each insert. ARINC 812 adds a standard data interface over a Controller Area Network bus, so that inserts from different suppliers can communicate within one galley. The inserts themselves are described on the aircraft galley components page.

Weight on every sector

Every kilogram in a commercial galley is flown on every sector for the life of the aircraft. That is why galley structures are built as integrated, lightweight designs by specialist manufacturers; why trolleys and containers are standardised and filled on the ground; and why most in-flight food service heats and chills prepared food rather than cooking from raw. When a galley is changed during a cabin retrofit, the weight, power demand and certification of every new item are assessed together.

What to specify in an enquiry

Commercial aircraft galley items are identified by their certification and their fit, not by a general description. An enquiry is quoted most quickly when it includes:

• Aircraft type and, where relevant, the galley position or galley manufacturer.
• The trolley and container standard in use, ATLAS or KSSU.
• The part number or manufacturer reference of each item, with quantities.
• Whether the items are replacements for an existing installation or part of a modification.
• Any operator, caterer or certification documentation that must accompany the items.

For the operational side of the same galley, see airline galley equipment. For trolleys and containers, see aircraft galley accessories. The aircraft galley equipment guide sets out the standards in one place.

Commercial aircraft and marine galleys

The products in our catalogue are marine galley equipment: combi ovens, kettles, dishwashers and laundry machines built for a ship's 400 V 50 Hz or 440 V 60 Hz supply. They are not certified for installation in an aircraft, and aircraft galley inserts are not built for a ship. For the marine side of galley equipment, see marine galley equipment.