Cargolux’s weekly Quito service brings Ecuadorian flowers to Europe, Asia

Cargolux Airlines launched scheduled all-cargo services to Quito on July 2, providing four flights per week, originating in Luxembourg and transiting through two airports in Brazil (Curitiba and Viracopos) as well as on in Mexico.

The Quito connection sets up more opportunities to ship Ecuador’s cut flower exports to markets in Amsterdam, Luxembourg and beyond. About a year ago, Cargolux switched the hub for its South American flower flights from Maastricht Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol. The change enabled Cargolux to operate more flexibly in the Dutch export markets for products that are difficult to transport by road, and put the all-cargo carrier closer to the Aalsmeer flower auctions, the world’s largest market for fresh-cut flowers.

The weekly flights from Quito support not only the markets in Amsterdam and the rest of Europe, but also China and Central Asia, where the carrier recently signed a joint venture with Henan Cargo Airlines. The JV is expected to take off in 2018.