Qatar Airways Cargo transports 5,000 tonnes of flowers for Valentine’s Day
Qatar Airways Cargo transported 5,000 tonnes of flowers for Valentine’s Day, mainly roses and carnations.
- It is Qatar Airways Cargo's sixteenth season from Kenya.
- The carrier shipped flowers from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
February 17, 2021: Qatar Airways Cargo transported 5,000 tonnes of flowers for Valentine’s Day, mainly roses and carnations, introducing additional flights and charters to cater to the demand in key markets. The carrier shipped flowers from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Colombia, The Netherlands, India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka among other countries.
It is the airline’s sixteenth season from Kenya.
With the carrier’s QR Fresh solution, the flowers were maintained in a temperature-controlled environment during the transport process including any transit.
Guillaume Halleux, Qatar Airways’ chief officer cargo, said, “Valentine’s Day is a global celebration and there is no better way to express your love, than with flowers. We are glad to help spread tonnes of love and cheer around the world by introducing additional capacity and freighters on our key routes to support our customers. Understanding the nature of these delicate flowers, we have special processes in place to ensure a seamless cold chain for their transport.”
To meet the demand, Qatar Airways Cargo operated eight B777 freighters from Quito with flowers destined for European and Australian markets, in addition to its scheduled four weekly B777 freighters. The carrier also added three freighters from Quito to Miami, in addition to the three regular rotations. Miami serves as one of the largest distribution hubs in the United States of America. It also added 13 mini freighters and five B777 freighters from Nairobi, to support Valentine’s Day shipments besides transporting flowers on its regular four weekly B777 freighters. From Bogota, the carrier transported flowers on its two weekly B777 freighters. It is the airline’s fifth Valentine season from Ecuador and second from Colombia.
ln 2020, Qatar Airways Cargo uplifted close to 32,000 tonnes of flowers.