Cargolux Airlines International has moved its South America – Netherlands services from Maastricht to Amsterdam to reduce transit times for the Amsterdam flower market.

Following customer requests, Cargolux moved the service from Maastricht Aachen Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The airline says customers will benefit from reduced transit times, as the flowers will no longer be trucked from Maastricht to Amsterdam, while Cargolux will be able to operate more flexibly.

Cargolux says it transports about 95 tonnes of flowers a week from Latacunga and Bogota to the Netherlands, where they are sold at the Aalsmeer auctions.

Cargolux did its first charter flight to Bogota in September 1997 for a major flower producer, before starting weekly services to Colombia soon after. The airline says flower shippers in South America can benefit from its CV Fresh product, and it offers three weekly services dedicated to the commodity.