Some British Airways passengers could go hungry as it will stop loading flights with enough food for all flyers

• British Airlines will stop loading flights with meals for all passengers to reduce food waste.
• The airline said the new catering experience means customers who request a meal will receive one.

British Airways is testing a new catering system where it won't load enough food for all passengers on flights in a bid to tackle food waste.

The trade blog View From The Wing first reported the news, citing an internal company memo. Past attempts to reduce food waste saw some customers go hungry because there wasn't enough food for all passengers on board, people familiar with the matter told the blog.

The airline told Insider on Friday that it's investing in its catering experience on an ongoing basis and that it's "working hard" to reduce its food waste.

"We're reviewing meal loading on flights where we are seeing consistent patterns of food waste while ensuring all customers that request a meal receive one," British Airways said in a statement.

The airline experienced "unforeseen operational issues" with its caterer DO & CO in October, which meant some short-haul flights took off from London without any meals on board, the industry news blog Paddle Your Own Kanoo said.

The airline also had problems with its meal service last month when it experienced a refrigeration issue on a 12-and-½-hour flight, which meant it had to serve passengers KFC.

Passengers on the flight from the Caribbean to London were given a single piece of chicken each, and BA said there were limited food options at the airport, so it had to "wing it."

Willie Walsh, who was the CEO of British Airways from 2005 to 2011, led a series of cost-cutting measures at the airline. The Financial Times reported that Walsh reduced its costs and fired managers during his time there before he spearheaded the company's merger with the Spanish airline Iberia to form IAG in 2011.

His successor, Álex Cruz, who was CEO from 2016 to 2020, continued to cut costs. This included scrapping free beverages for passengers on its short-haul economy flights, the Sunday Times reported.

When Sean Doyle, British Airways' current CEO and chair, took over in 2020, the airline started giving flyers a free bottle of water, a sweet snack, and potato chips, the Sunday Times reported.

Last month, the airline started giving passengers free tea and coffee on its short-haul routes again.