It took 17 charter flights by Emirates SkyCargo to airfreight about 3 800 tonnes of flowers to the European Union for Valentine’s Day, mainly from suppliers in Ecuador exporting product to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Planning for the lion’s share of this year’s Valentine’s Day cargo started in the fourth quarter of 2025 and required 14 flights in January from the Ecuadorian capital of Quito.
A further three dedicated flights on Boeing 777s departed from Kenya.
Of the 30 000 tonnes of fresh flowers that Emirates flies out annually, its January cargo ahead of February 14 totalled about 10% of its per-annum volume.
Another carrier that recorded solid freight figures for Valentine’s cargo was Columbia’s Avianca Cargo, operating from José María Córdova International Airport near Medellín, its main base, and El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá.
According to a company statement, Aviana flew 19 000 tonnes of freshly cut flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to the United States – marking 6% year-on-year growth.
“Supported by a fleet of nine cargo aircraft and enhanced passenger belly capacity, Avianca doubled its cargo capacity from Colombia and tripled its capacity from Ecuador to meet peak Valentine’s Day demand across key US gateways, including Miami and Los Angeles.”
Capacity was bolstered through the airline’s partnership with Amazon Air Cargo, totalling 320 flower flights altogether, of which Avianca itself did 80.
“For the 2026 Valentine’s Day season, we strengthened our operation to deliver the capacity, reliability and consistency our customers depend on during the industry’s most critical peak,” said Diogo Elias, CEO of Avianca.
