Aeroméxico has introduced a new business class tableware collection for its Premier One service, designed to reflect modern Mexican culture through ceramics, glassware and onboard hospitality. Jeny Southan reports

Aeroméxico has unveiled a redesigned business class dining concept created to reflect modern Mexican culture through onboard hospitality, tableware and service design. The initiative introduces a new bespoke dining and glassware collection that will roll out across the airline’s Boeing 787 fleet during 2026.

The project was developed in partnership with London-based aviation design studio NewTerritory and forms part of a wider effort by Aeroméxico to refresh the passenger experience as the airline approaches its 91st year.

Rather than treating onboard meals as a functional service, the airline has positioned business class dining as a cultural expression of Mexico. The concept draws on the idea that food plays a central role in Mexican social life, where meals often act as a moment for conversation, storytelling and connection.

To translate this philosophy into the aircraft cabin, designers created a 15-piece dining collection that includes plates, bowls, glasses, mugs and presentation pieces. The items were designed to evoke the atmosphere of a restaurant while also meeting the practical requirements of airline service.

Antonio Fernandez, vice-president product and onboard services at Aeroméxico, says: “Over the last several years we have built consistent, modern hard products with beautiful cabins, great seats, and a refined brand image. To complete this onboard concept, we needed to relaunch our soft products in a way that brings Mexico’s culture and hospitality to life.

“This new 15-piece collection designed with NewTerritory does exactly that. It reflects modern Mexico in the air, while also future-proofing our service moments and improving efficiency through smarter, lighter, and more sustainable design. It complements the work we’ve done on our crew uniforms, ensuring every detail of the Aeroméxico experience is part of one bigger, cohesive design story.”

The dining collection includes items such as a main plate, deep plate, entrada plate, dessert plate, bowls, stackable salt and pepper shakers and various types of glassware. Additional service pieces include a crafted basket, presentation tray and elevated platter designed to support different styles of onboard meal service.

Material choices were used to reflect elements of Mexican craft traditions. The porcelain tableware references the colour tones of traditional ceramics, including terracotta reds and the darker hues associated with clay pottery from Oaxaca. Designers also incorporated subtle variations in shape and surface to echo handmade objects rather than uniform industrial forms.

The glassware has a blue tint inspired by traditional tequila bottles made from recycled glass. During the production process, these bottles often develop air bubbles and a soft blue colour, which the designers have echoed in the onboard collection.

While aesthetics were important, the pieces were also engineered to function effectively in an aviation environment. The tableware uses lightweight materials to reduce aircraft weight and is designed to fit efficiently into galley storage systems. This approach is intended to make service easier for crew while allowing greater flexibility for future menu concepts and new dining formats.

Nadja Orwell, director of client partnerships at NewTerritory, says: “From the moment passengers step onboard, they are welcomed into a Mexico that respects its roots while presenting itself with confidence and warmth. This wasn’t about decoration - it was about creating a dining experience worthy of the culture it represents.

“The design philosophy draws directly from the Milpa, celebrating harmony, sharing and informality. It reframes business class dining not as a transactional service, but as a cultural moment, one that reconnects a 90-year-old airline with the living, evolving spirit of modern Mexico.”

The Milpa is a traditional Mexican agricultural system in which crops are grown together in a shared ecosystem. Designers used the concept as a reference for balance, connection and community when developing the dining experience.

The new business class dining collection forms part of a broader transformation of Aeroméxico’s onboard experience. In recent years the airline has focused on upgrading what it describes as its “hard product”, including cabins, seats and textiles across its fleet.

With those elements standardised, the airline turned its attention to what it describes as the more human aspects of travel, including service rituals and onboard dining. The redesigned tableware and serviceware aim to create a dining experience closer to that of a restaurant while still functioning within the constraints of aircraft cabins.

The collection will be introduced gradually across Aeroméxico’s Boeing 787 aircraft throughout 2026, forming part of the airline’s Premier One long-haul service.

The initiative reflects a wider trend in aviation in which airlines are increasingly using onboard dining, design and cultural storytelling to strengthen brand identity and differentiate premium cabins.