DKA Aerospace marks meal cart milestones with PAX Award win and XT3.0
This is a special feature from the May 2025 issue of PAX Tech on page 84.
DKA’s next-generation meal cart, the XT3.0
Exhibiting at the Aircraft Interiors Expo for the first time under its rebranded identity, DKA Aerospace unveiled the XT3.0 in Hamburg last month and took home a PAX Readership award for the XT2.5+ meal cart.
Max Choong, R&D Manager, DKA
“DKA was genuinely encouraged by the interest and engagement our product received. It is clear that the industry recognizes the demand for lightweight solutions, not only functional but also integrated with the customer needs and satisfying for the user,” Max Choong, R&D Manager, DKA, tells PAX Tech.
A win for lightweight design
DKA Aerospace’s XT2.5+ meal cart won the 2025 PAX Readership Awards for Best Cabin Equipment Innovation
DKA Aerospace received the Best Cabin Equipment Innovation PAX Readership Award 2025 for the XT2.5+ meal cart.
“We are deeply honoured and humbled to receive the PAX Readership Award for Best Cabin Equipment Innovation for the XT2.5+. This recognition means a great deal to us, and I want to express my heartfelt thanks to DKA and the R&D team for this incredible honour,” Choong tells PAX Tech. “This award is not just an organization milestone, but a reflection of the organization’s commitment to continuing to innovate, grow, contribute and hopefully inspire the industry to excel in the design and performance of galley carts.”
The XT2.5+ meal cart is engineered for durability and performance. Built with UNI-STRUCTURE technology, its top and base panels are CNC-milled from a single slab of high-grade aluminum alloy, providing exceptional impact resistance, reduced maintenance and a longer lifespan. The full-size carts weigh 16.5 kilograms (36.4 lbs) and half-size carts weigh 10.7 kilograms (23.6 lbs), optimizing efficiency with their lightweight.
“[Receiving a PAX Readership Award] positions DKA’s brand and our articles ahead of market trends rather than as a follower. It increases the competitive advantage by aligning with the airline customer needs, which leads to safety, higher satisfaction, gain on loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals. Essentially, these enhance the brand reputation, leading to boosting deals and repeat acquisitions,” adds Choong.
He explains that the durability of the cart comes from DKA’s UNI-STRUCTURE technology, which unifies the top and base assemblies of the cart to consolidate the parts into one, a change from the traditional building concept applied in the aerospace industry for the last three decades. With fewer parts, the cart’s design offers easier assembly, fewer points of breakdown, additional strength and reduced part fatigue.
“This improves efficiency in the spare part inventory control and maintenance activities, the shortest turnaround time to return the cart to catering service to eliminate the shortage of carts in the cabin,” he says.
The next generation
The DKA Aerospace team exhibiting at AIX 2025 in Hamburg, Germany
On the heels of multiple recognitions for the XT2.5+ meal cart in Hamburg, DKA Aerospace unveiled the XT3.0, the latest evolution in its XT series of galley carts.
The product officially launched at the expo and builds on the proven performance of the XT line. The XT3.0 full-size cart weighs 14.8 kilograms (32.6 lbs) while the half-size cart weighs 9.6 kilograms (21.1 lbs).
The ultra-lightweight design delivers meaningful fuel savings and enhanced handling while maintaining DKA’s commitment to durability, quality and reliability.
“With the customer recognition of XT2.5+ and XT3.0, the empty weight of a full-size cart is about one kilogram less for XT2.5+ to XT3.0. DKA might incorporate more features tailored to customer-specific needs on top of a base model with modular components,” Choong reveals.
Keeping ahead of the curve
In a competitive market space, he says DKA researched the areas in materials and alloys, the manufacturability of ergonomic feature adjustments for comfort to user interfaces to obtain the weight reduction of XT3.0 cart.
“To stay ahead in this competitive sector, with the unique feature of Uni-Structure technology, DKA also considers the safety features, ergonomic and modular design principles, innovating in sustainability to push toward greener, more efficient operations,” he adds.
