Millions of flowers including the traditional seasonal roses are being flown to Europe from Africa and Latin America. In addition to its 20 weekly flights out of Nairobi, Quito and Bogota, Cargolux has added close to 1,200 tonnes of extra capacity to meet the peak demand ahead of the celebration.

In order to preserve the flowers’ condition, they must be delivered to distribution centres in Europe within 48 hours of their harvest. Cargolux strives to offer the highest standard required to transport fresh products and therefore uses thermos blankets that ensure an additional protection for temperature sensitive shipments. The company’s fleet of Boeing 747F aircraft is equipped for the transport of perishable goods such as flowers. “We are operating a modern fleet which has the state-of-art thermal capabilities, in order to guarantee the reliable transport of flowers to lovebirds around the world”, says Stavros Evangelakakis, Cargolux product manager for fresh and temperature controlled commodities. “With our ’CV fresh‘ product, we offer to our clients a specialized product, which is focussing on the transport of perishable goods.”

Columbia, Ecuador and Kenya are the most substantial providers for flowers with Kenya catering for around 7 percent of the world trade. The European markets comprises 35 percent of Kenya’s flower harvest as consumers traditionally offer flowers to symbolize love and affection during special occasions such as Valentine’s Day. On top of the European and North American business, emerging economies in Asia are quickly becoming blossoming markets for flowers.

Cargolux is the world’s first GDP-certified airline, as well as the world’s first ‘Lean & Green’ carrier. The airline operates from one of Europe’s most modern centers for temperature-controlled logistics in Europe at Luxembourg’s Findel Airport. Its expert staff is highly skilled and demonstrates thorough knowledge and experience in their field to meet its customers’ specialized requirements.