Project D helps British Airways celebrate US reopening

Doughnuts made by Project D have helped British Airways celebrate the recommencing of flights between London and New York.

The Derby firm was approached by the national flag carrier to provide doughnuts for each of the 350 passengers and crew on the first flight from London to America since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

ot only did Project D provide doughnuts for the flight, it also gave away a further 2,000 doughnuts in Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

The firm set up a stand and showcased Captain Stone, the firm’s bright pink Derby Ram Trail ram.

Each of the vanilla-flavoured doughnuts were filled with British heritage raspberry jam and topped with BA’s iconic red and blue speed mark logo.

It was the first time that BA had been able to take foreign visitors to America following the country’s decision to lock down its borders due to the pandemic.

Another New York-bound aircraft, operated by Virgin, took to the Heathrow skies, for a duel take off for the first time in commercial history.

Sitting on board the British Airways plane were Project D’s founders, Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond who were invited to share the historic moment, as well as supply the doughnuts.

The company took part in the flight and celebrations after it was contacted by BA’s global partnership manager, who had first spotted the firm’s products on Instagram, where Project D has 134,000 followers.

Following touchdown in New York, Project D also attended a special celebration at the Empire State Building, hosted by British Airways and NYC & Company, where guests, including Hollywood actress Blake Lively, toasted the return of UK air travel to the US.

Max said: “It was pretty special. Sitting on a flight to New York – which is the home of the doughnut – watching everyone around us eating our doughnuts, which had been made in our bakery in the heart of Derby.

“Then to spend the evening at the top of the Empire State Building was an incredible experience.

“Setting up and growing Project D has been really hard work and there have been a few setbacks along the way, but experiences like this make up for the challenges and it’s definitely one of the highlights of our company’s history so far.”