Yangtze River Express latest carrier on Halifax lobster trail

Canadian crustaceans beware. The new year celebration is not yet over, thanks in part to Yangtze River Express Airlines, the latest cargo carrier to add services to Halifax Airport to take advantage of the booming lobster export season, the airport announced. The first Yangtze River Express 747-400F will depart Halifax Stanfield on Saturday, Jan. 7, followed by four more cargo flights operating on a charter basis between Canada and China for the rest of this month.

The airport estimates that it has shipped more than US$15 million worth of Nova Scotia seafood overseas so far this holiday season, a number that it hopes will increase to around $25 million by the end of the month as demand remains high among Chinese diners celebrating the Lunar New Year on Jan. 28.

“Nova Scotia lobsters are in high demand in China,” said Jevey Zhang, president of Yangtze River Express. “We’re happy to provide additional capacity between Halifax and China, ensuring fresh lobsters arrive here in the shortest possible time.”

Bert van der Stege, vice president for business development and chief commercial officer at Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA), credited the airport’s new 17,000-square-meter cargo pad for “providing us with additional capacity, making Halifax Stanfield an even more attractive airport for cargo exports.”