Flowers contribute to banner year for American cargo airlines

Airlines in Latin America reported growth of 5.8 percent in 2017, helped by the economic turnaround in Brazil. Carriers had a firecracker start in 2018 with the season of flowers gaining momentum.

More than two million fresh flowers per freight aircraft were shipped onboard LATAM Cargo during the four weeks leading to this Valentine’s Day holiday, which together with Mother’s Day (April and May) represent the peak seasons for fresh flower exports worldwide.

From January 17 to February 7, more than 163 freighters departed from Ecuador and Colombia, almost tripling the number of regular weekly shipments. Between Bogota and Miami alone, LATAM Cargo’s traffic rose to 2,670 tonnes, compared with an average traffic of 360 tonnes per week. The company’s Quito-Miami route was equally as busy, with 3,740 tonnes versus a weekly average of 450 tonnes. In total, LATAM Cargo carried more than 4,310 tonnes of fresh flowers from Colombia and over 5,220 tonnes from Ecuador.

The United States is the principal market for fresh flowers transported by LATAM Cargo. This Valentine’s Day, Miami International Airport received some 7,900 tonnes from LATAM, representing more than 80 per cent of its cargo shipments. Of the flowers entering the country, 89 per cent remained in Florida, while the other 11 per cent continued on, mainly to Los Angeles.

Read more at The STAT Trade Times (Surya Kannoth)