LATAM Cargo has carried more than 9,000 tonnes of flowers in time for Valentine’s Day, flying to the US, Netherlands and China and other destinations.

During the four weeks preceding Valentine’s Day, LATAM Cargo transported flowers from Bogota and Medellin in Colombia and from Quito in Ecuador to markets in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania.

Red and pink roses, mixed bouquets, carnations, chrysanthemums, iris, gypsophila and greenery were the stars of the season that started on 14 January and ended on 8 February.

To satisfy the demand, LATAM Cargo increased its cargo frequencies in Colombia, with 23 flights a week from Bogota and Medellin during the busiest week.

A similar thing happened in Ecuador, where frequencies increased from 10 to 31 a week during the busiest period.

In total, the operation was 2.4 times larger than usual, transporting 4,180 tonnes of flowers from Colombia and 4,920 from Ecuador.

The main importer was the US, with Miami receiving 8,050 tonnes, equivalent to 88% of the total and double the regular traffic.

It was followed by Amsterdam in the Netherlands with 500 tonnes and other destinations were Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing in China; Madrid, Spain; and Paris, France.

Felipe Caballero, commercial director for Central and South America North Region for LATAM Cargo says: “Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ Day are peak periods where LATAM Cargo demonstrates its leadership in Latin America, successfully completing a highly complex operation. We have the expertise to increase frequencies and meet our customers’ needs.

“We are dynamic and rigorous in our operation and even when demand spikes we can tackle the challenge of maintaining the cold chain so that flowers can retain their properties, freshness and quality. In this way, we are helping to boost Colombia and Ecuador’s position as major global producers of fresh flowers.”