Colombia | Air Cargo Next https://aircargonext.com The News on the Future of Airfreight Thu, 29 Feb 2024 19:50:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://aircargonext.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-1-1-32x32.png Colombia | Air Cargo Next https://aircargonext.com 32 32 From farm to freighter: Transporting flowers by air  https://aircargonext.com/featured-content/features/from-farm-to-freighter-transporting-flowers-by-air/ Tue, 13 Feb 2024 23:46:28 +0000 https://aircargonext.com/?p=57140295 Love is in the air: US imports 80% of its flowers from Colombia  https://aircargonext.com/news/love-is-in-the-air-us-imports-80-of-its-flowers-from-colombia/ Fri, 09 Feb 2024 23:22:08 +0000 https://aircargonext.com/?p=57140220 Skyports to launch medical transport drone ops in Colombia https://aircargonext.com/misc/technology/skyports-to-launch-medical-transport-drone-ops-in-colombia/ Fri, 22 Oct 2021 22:09:38 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=97330 Panalpina persists in perishables with purchase of CargoMaster, Laseair https://aircargonext.com/news/panalpina-persists-in-perishables-with-purchase-of-cargomaster-laseair/ Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:43:32 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=66535 Swiss forwarding giant Panalpina is seeking to increase its already large market share of the South American perishables logistics market by purchasing CargoMaster S.A. in Colombia, and its Ecuadorian subsidiary, Laseair S.A. The companies reached an agreement on Tuesday of this week, but chose not to disclose the financial details of the acquisition.

CargoMaster, with its subsidiary Laseair, are two of the largest companies in Latin America specializing in the airfreight export of perishables, consisting mostly of cut flowers for the United States, but also for markets in Europe and Asia.

Panalpina CEO Stefan Karlen said the acquisition will make the Basel-based forwarder “the undisputed perishables market leader” in Colombia and Latin America, and strengthen its position in Ecuador. “We are adding significant volumes and know-how to our already impressive perishables footprint in Latin America,” he added.

With the addition of CargoMaster, which was founded in 1987, Karlen said he envisions “great development opportunities for our Charter Network,” which has its gateway in Huntsville, Alabama.

Panalpina has made growth of its perishables business a top priority in recent years, including the earning of certification for handling organic product from Certisys last summer in the Benelux countries and the U.K. in Europe, as well as the June 2018 purchase of Argentine perishables company Newport Cargo. In 2017, Panalpina also purchased Kenya-based flower and vegetable forwarder Air Connection, along with Netherlands-based Interfresh Airfreight Handling and  Belgian firms Adelantex and AD Handling.

It remains to be seen how this growing perishables network will fit in with the plans of Panalpina’s new owner, DSV of Denmark, following its blockbuster purchase of the Swiss forwarder for US$4.6 billion, announced on April 1, but it seems likely that perishables will remain a major part of the export business of the new combined entity.

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DHL acquires Colombian warehousing company, expands Latin American presence https://aircargonext.com/news/dhl-acquires-colombian-warehousing-company-expands-latin-american-presence/ Tue, 22 May 2018 17:42:01 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=38276 Today, DHL Supply Chain acquired Colombian company Suppla Group, a provider of warehousing and packaging for life-sciences, healthcare and retail products, with locations in 25 Colombian cities.

“The expansion into the developing Andean region in South America, specifically in Colombia, is key to achieve our Strategy 2020 targets and allows us to unlock further growth potential,” said Javier Bilbao, CEO of DHL Supply Chain, Latin America.

The move comes in context of heightening buzz about Latin America in the airfreight industry. An increased demand for air cargo capacity – fueled mainly by international demand for fresh produce, as well as Brazil’s economic turnaround last year, after a slump that began in 2013 – has piqued the interest of industry leaders in the region.

DHL Supply Chain already operates a logistics warehouse in the country’s capital of Bogotá, but this new acquisition is a clear indicator that the company anticipates the market’s continued growth. “Colombia has ambitious investment programs in the coming years, and we are confident that this acquisition will strengthen our presence,” Bilbao said.

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Aerosucre 727-200F crashes shortly after takeoff in Colombia [VIDEO] https://aircargonext.com/news/aerosucre-727-200-freighter-crashes-shortly-after-takeoff-in-colombia/ https://aircargonext.com/news/aerosucre-727-200-freighter-crashes-shortly-after-takeoff-in-colombia/#respond Wed, 21 Dec 2016 18:59:01 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=19085 A 727-200 freighter operated by Aerosucre has crashed shortly after takeoff from the Puerto Carreno airport near the Colombia-Venezuela border. The 41-year-old freighter, registered as HK-4544, failed to rotate as it barely cleared the runway, knocking out part of a perimeter fence and struggled to become airborne. The aircraft stayed aloft for about five miles before crashing and bursting into flames.

Five of the six crew died – one en route to the hospital –  tacking yet another aviation disaster on Colombia’s record, following the discovery that the pilot of the Colombian plane that crashed, killing 71 people in Colombia “was not trained properly,” according to an attorney for the family of co-pilot Fernando Goytia.

Weather conditions at the time of the crash included scattered clouds, winds out of the east at eight knots, and 87 degrees.

The ch-aviation website shows that the downed freighter entered into service in 1975 as a passenger aircraft with Air Jamaica, where it served until 1997. The aircraft was then converted to a cargo configuration, where if flew for various U.S.-based cargo carriers, including KittyHawk, before being transferred to Aerosucre in 2008.

Currently, there is no official explanation for the crash, however Boeing released a statement saying that the company was, “saddened to hear of the crash of an Aerosucre Colombia 727-200 cargo airplane near Puerto Carreno, Colombia. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who perished, as well as our best wishes for the recovery of those injured. Boeing stands ready to provide technical assistance under the direction of government investigating authorities.”

In November 2006, another Aerosucre 727F crashed after taking off from Bogota, killing all five on board.

This video (below), uploaded to YouTube, purports to show the Dec. 21 crash, recorded by a plane-spotter at the edge of the runway.

 

 

A video uploaded to Youtube in October showed an Aerosucre 727 barely clearing the fence upon takeoff from the same airport (see below).

 

 

 

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Cargolux now flying flowers direct to Amsterdam https://aircargonext.com/news/cargolux-now-flying-flowers-direct-to-amsterdam/ https://aircargonext.com/news/cargolux-now-flying-flowers-direct-to-amsterdam/#respond Mon, 13 Jun 2016 17:54:14 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=17734 Luxembourg-based Cargolux is now routing freighter flights from South America directly to Amsterdam, the all-cargo airline announced this week. The new route is in response to South America’s growing output – and European demand for – cut flowers. Each week, Cargolux flies an estimated 95 tons of flowers from Latacunga (Ecuador) and Bogotá (Colombia) to the Netherlands. The flowers are sold near the Schiphol airport at the Aalsmeer auctions, the largest trading center for plants and flowers worldwide.

During the lead-up to Valentine’s day this year, flower exports from Colombia and Ecuador alone reached about 35,000 tons. LATAM cargo has cornered 27 percent of this market at 10,500 tons, but, with exports on the rise, other carriers like Cargolux are bolstering their positions in the market.

Cargolux has been in the South American perishables market, including the flower transport business, for 17 years. The airline began its first charter flight to Bogotá in 1997, which was quickly bumped up to weekly flights to Colombia. Quito routes were added that same year, with feeder flights handled by Bogotá-based Aerosucre. Flights to Bogotá became scheduled services in late 2000.

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Valentine’s Day means a whole lot of flowers https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/valentines-day-means-a-whole-lot-of-flowers/ https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/valentines-day-means-a-whole-lot-of-flowers/#respond Fri, 12 Feb 2016 18:53:08 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=16791 FlowersAs the roses and tropical flowers flow north from Latin America – particularly from Colombia and Ecuador – for Valentine’s Day,  UPS plans to move more than 100 million fragrant blossoms. That’s enough to fill approximately seventy 767 cargo aircraft.

More than 90 percent of imported flowers will pass through Miami International Airport, where UPS has a large presence. Additionally, LAN Cargo and its affiliates transported 9,026 tonnes of flowers on approximately 100 freighters between Jan. 18 and Feb. 7, tripling its average number of flights operated throughout the year. Your sweetie can rest assured the supply won’t run out and her (or his) bouquet will arrive fresh because the entire journey, from flower farmer to the importer, takes less than two days.

Consumers are expected to spend $147 per person on Valentine’s gifts this year, with $41 of that going toward flowers. All told, U.S. consumers are projected to spend almost $20 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts.

IAG Cargo will also be busy, with red roses comprising 95 percent of the roses shipped on its flights. The Valentine’s Day period for air cargo carriers generally starts during the last two weeks of January and ends the first week of February.

“Every year we increase our operational resources to expedite incoming flower shipments,” said Domingo Mendez, UPS air cargo manager. “This year, UPS is moving 560,000 boxes of flowers – that’s more than 8 million dozen roses.”

To handle the volume, UPS has added 40 additional temperature-controlled flights. The flowers stay fresh in a refrigerated warehouse about the size of five basketball courts, located in the UPS air cargo facility at MIA, where they are inspected and sorted for travel to their final destinations. Eighty percent of the Colombian and Ecuadorian flowers transported by the LATAM Group enter the U.S. through MIA as well; of those flowers, 90 percent remains in Florida and the remaining 10 percent is transported to Los Angeles. LAN Cargo’s facilities in Miami also maintain the cool chain required for transportation and preservation of the flowers.

IAG, which will carry Kenyan roses, said that flower volumes destined for the U.S. have increased 50 percent over last year’s season, with popular destinations including Vancouver and New York. The increase is partially due to increased e-commerce activity, particularly in the U.S., where consumers are buying directly from the farmers, predominantly in Kenya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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No more flowers for Lufthansa Cargo https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/no-more-flowers-for-lufthansa-cargo/ https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/no-more-flowers-for-lufthansa-cargo/#respond Fri, 15 Jan 2016 01:28:39 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=16580 FlowersBy this coming March, Lufthansa Cargo will stop its twice-weekly service carrying cut flowers from Ecuador and Colombia, by way of Puerto Rico, and onward to Frankfurt. By stopping in Puerto Rico, the service fell within the guidelines for operating in accordance with the open-skies agreement between the United States and the European Union.

However, KLM Cargo and Dutch Civil Aviation authorities objected, which began a legal dispute. Now, Lufthansa says it will not operate the scheduled service based on an adjustment in its flight schedules, not because of the legal situation.

Lufthansa still plans to import flowers from Bogotá and Quito for the upcoming Valentine’s and Mother’s Day festivities, both huge holidays for flower sales.

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CAS sees cool-chain benefits from MIA expansion https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/cas-sees-cool-chain-benefits-from-mia-expansion/ https://aircargonext.com/news/specialty-cargo/cas-sees-cool-chain-benefits-from-mia-expansion/#respond Tue, 22 Dec 2015 18:48:48 +0000 https://aircargoworld.com/?p=16438 MIASince Consolidated Aviation Services (CAS) doubled the size of its cool-chain facilities at Miami International Airport (MIA) in 2014, CAS said it has already seen a return on its US$2.5 million investment, with throughput climbing to 70,000 tonnes in the first nine months of 2015 – a 400 percent increase on its volumes before the expansion.

Even before MIA was certified as only the second airport in the world to gain certification under IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators for Pharmaceutical Handling (CEIV-Pharma), CAS was busy adding a new 18,000-square-foot cooler alongside its existing 12,000-square-foot perishables building that opened in 2009.

With its 16-foot-wide airside doors, the building can handle up to 90 ULDs at one time to expedite shipment. The new facility also has a refrigerated dock to accommodate trucks within a temperature-controlled environment. Additionally, CAS added a new agriculture inspection facility and walk-in freezer.

The new cooler handles a wide variety of perishables including fresh-cut flowers from Colombia and Ecuador; fresh salmon and trout from Chile; asparagus from Peru; and other fruits and vegetables from various origin points in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each of these commodities can be stored in multiple chambers that can maintain a specific range of cool temperatures.

MIA handles 85 percent of all perishable air imports in the U.S. and 80 percent of the country’s perishable air exports. This adds up to more than 720,000 tons of fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and flowers per year for the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. CAS also provides dedicated perishable handling services for American Airlines and IAG Cargo.

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