MIA ocean-to-air perishables program starts operation

Florida’s first-ever ocean-to-air perishables trans-shipment transferred through Miami International Airport (MIA) last week en route to the E.U. Ten tons of peas that arrived at Port Everglades on Jan. 30 from Guatemala were trucked to MIA and then flown to Amsterdam via Centurion Cargo on Feb. 2.

Last October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cleared the way for MIA to receive perishable freight imports by sea and load them onto international flights, making it the first airport in Florida to handle ocean-to-air trans-shipment.

Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime, now coordinates the ocean shipments of perishable products from Latin America via the Port of Miami or Port Everglades and transports them to MIA, where they depart by air via KLM Cargo or Centurion Cargo to Europe and Asia.

Miami-Dade aviation director Emilio T. González said that MIA would, “continue to explore innovative concepts like the Ocean-to-Air program, which have immense potential to generate new revenue and business ties around the world.”

The airport said that the new ocean-to-air pilot program will “save both time and money for cargo shippers,” which can now receive expedited air transport of perishable products without paying duties issued by U.S. Customs and Border Control.

MIA said it hopes to reach European and Asian markets with peak-season Latin America produce, potentially extending the seasonality for certain products at lowered costs. The addition of ocean freight shipments will expand MIA’s overall cargo operations, which continue to handle more perishable imports than all other U.S. airports combined, according to airport statistics.

Those interested in learning more about air freight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com.