Trans-Atlantic capacity squeeze wilts Valentine’s Day flower imports

The busy flower import season that precedes Valentine’s Day is in full swing at Miami International Airport (MIA), but the lack of trans-Atlantic airfreight capacity is having a negative impact on imports from Europe, Africa and Australia. Flower imports from points in Europe, Australia and Africa are down “because the logistics and transportation costs from those areas are getting much higher,” Jimmy Nares, section chief of marketing at the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, told Air Cargo World . [caption id="attachment_94396" align="alignright" width="450"] Photo/Miami International Airport[/caption] MIA’s Valentine’s Day flower peak runs generally from between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, said Nares. Citing figures from the Association of Flower Importers of Florida (AFIF), Nares noted that about 92% of flower imports to the U.S. arrive from the Latin America and Caribbean region, with the other 8% from the rest of the world — primarily Europe, Australia and Africa. Of the total flower imports into the U.S., about 89% transit through MIA. During 2020’s Valentine’s Day flower peak, which occurred before the impacts of the pandemic were felt in aviation in the Americas, more than 1.12 billion stems were imported to the U.S. for year-over-year growth of 3.4%, according to AFIF figures. During the next flower peak for Mother’s Day 2020, COVID-19 flight cancellations were ubiquitous, and at the time, Nares said that flower imports were expected to reach only 70% to 75% of normal levels . This Valentine’s Day, Latin American imports from Colombia and Ecuador are expected to be robust as in previous years. “We are shooting for about the same number of stems, especially of what comes from Colombia and Ecuador,” which account for about 68% and 19%, respectively, of flowers shipped by air to MIA, said Nares. Trans-Atlantic capacity and airfreight rates have been at a premium since April 2020, when passenger cancellations dealt capacity on the route a serious blow, as the majority of trans-Atlantic airfreight traditionally moves in the bellies of passenger aircraft , according to Cargo Facts Consulting Managing Director Frederic Horst. Since the cancellations began, airlines and freight forwarders have launched scheduled and charter service on trans-Atlantic routes in support of various industries including electronics manufacturers and the automotive sector, but capacity has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. According to Nares, direct trans-Atlantic routes at MIA fell from 27 pre-pandemic to nine currently. The airport also reported its 2020 cargo results this week at a record volume of 2.3 million short tons (2.1 million tonnes). The peak season of October through December of 2020 were the airport’s busiest months ever, averaging throughput of 210,000 tons per month, thanks to an influx of e-commerce traffic. MIA’s pharma business also increased during 2020, rising 3.7% YoY through November. “With the pandemic broadening and cases rising in Latin America, we are seeing more exports to that region,” said Nares. Brazil, the top country for pharma exports from MIA, saw an increase in tonnage of 26% YoY through October 2020, to 4.0 million kilograms, he said.

Trans-Atlantic capacity squeeze wilts Valentine’s Day flower imports

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