The flower power of Valentine’s Day

Airport cargo terminals and airline holds have been awash with colour in the last few weeks as over 100,000 tonnes of freshly cut flowers have winged their way across the globe in time for Valentine’s Day.

Miami International Airport reports that business has been blooming in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, with the cargo gateway projecting that more than 1,500 tons of cut flowers will arrive daily between January 1 and the end of February – a 3% increase over the airport’s record-breaking peak season in 2024.

America’s largest gateway for flowers, which welcomes 91% of all imports by air to the US, expects to receive 90,154 tons of cut flowers valued at more than $400 million during this year’s Valentine’s Day rush.

Flowers continue to be MIA’s largest imported product by weight, accounting for 359,396 tons annually worth $1.65 billion.

MIA benefits from having the nation’s most extensive air route network with Colombia and Ecuador, the two top flower-producing countries in the region that account for approximately 86% of all flowers imported to the US to arrive by air.

Twelve cargo airlines provide freighter service from Colombia, and nine airlines have freighter service from Ecuador. Additionally, four airlines operate passenger flights carrying belly cargo from Colombia, while two passenger airlines carry belly cargo from Ecuador.

“MIA is proud to be America’s largest gateway for fresh flowers, with more than 1,500 tons projected to arrive daily this year for Valentine’s Day, which would be a 3% increase over last year,” said airport director and CEO, Ralph Cutié.

“Thanks to our strong partnership with the world’s top cargo airlines for transporting flowers and federal support from US Customs and Border Protection, millions of blooms will reach their destinations across the country in time for the holiday.”

Elsewhere, in Quito, Ecuador, the peak flower export season for Valentine’s Day 2025 began on Saturday, January 18, and ran until February 8, during which time 15 cargo airlines between them transported more than 26,000 Ecuadorian flowers to destinations around the world on 493 flights.

According to the forecasts by airport operator, Quiport, exported flower volumes in the 2025 season are expected grow by between 3% and 5% this year.

In 2024, the total of 26,466 tonnes of flowers were exported, setting an absolute record for Valentine’s Day exports from Quito Airport.

“The growth of air cargo has been a constant at the Quito airport, exceeding the volumes of processed cargo year after year,” enthused Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Corporación Quiport.

“In the case of flower exports, the forecasts for 2025 are encouraging thanks to the excellent positioning of Ecuadorian flowers in international markets. As Quiport, our responsibility as the Quito Airport concessionaire is to guarantee that the entire operation works properly so that the flowers are shipped on time, preserving their quality.”

Finally, today Qatar Airways revealed that it has transported 2,800 tonnes of flowers, the equivalent of 42 million fresh-cut red roses from Kenya and South America in time for Valentine’s Day.

From Nairobi, the carrier transported almost 1,600 tonnes of red roses on its scheduled flights and charters. Additionally, from Bogota and Quito, it carried close to 1,200 tonnes to key markets including Amsterdam, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

In addition to its regular scheduled passenger-and-cargo flights, the cargo carrier operated nine (9) additional Boeing 777 charters from Nairobi and ten (10) additional charters from Quito in the fortnight leading up to Valentine’s Day, to support the increased demand during this peak season.

Qatar Airways Cargo’s chief officer cargo, Mark Drusch, enthused: “Both Kenya and South America’s floriculture sectors are success stories that must be celebrated and supported.

“Both countries are well-known for producing incredibly beautiful cut roses of unparalleled quality. We are proud to be able to play our part in sharing this great product with the world and supporting the local economies of Kenya and Bogota and Quito.”