LATAM Cargo Group carried seven per cent more flowers during the 2021 Valentine’s Day season than in 2020, totalling more than 13,200 tons.

The group attributed the increase to “uninterrupted operations” in Colombia and Ecuador, despite the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of capacity. LATAM Group said it had also increased its online offering, in this case to flower producers.

Between 18 January to 9 February, the three weeks before Valentine’s Day, LATAM Group took off some 225 times from Bogota, Medellin and Quito to the USA – with loads of roses, spray roses, alstroemeria and gerberas from Colombia, and roses, gypsophila and alstroemeria from Ecuador.

Flowers were then distributed from LATAM Airlines Group’s cargo operations home in Miami primarily towards North America and Europe.

LATAM Group said that, compared to a regular period, it carried seven per cent more tons per week in Colombia during the Valentine’s Day season. In Quito, Ecuador, capacity was added to transport the flower production to Miami, also increasing the number of tons carried each week by seven per cent, and raising capacity to Amsterdam.

“It is in times of difficulty like the current pandemic that our commitment to our customers is demonstrated,” said LATAM Cargo Group commercial vice president for South America Claudio Torres.

“Not only do we offer the best transporting options by prioritising the use of all-cargo aircraft and adding passenger aircraft for transporting flowers exclusively. We also added new frequencies to take fresh flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to the world, thus supporting our customers’ businesses.”