Avianca Cargo Delivers Valentine’s Peak With Record Los Angeles Growth

Avianca Cargo transported more than 19,000 tonnes of flowers from Colombia to the United States for the 2026 Valentine’s Day season, posting six percent year-on-year growth and maintaining its position as the leading carrier on the trade.

During a 22-day peak period, the airline operated nearly 320 freighter flights, moving fresh-cut flowers primarily into Miami and Los Angeles. Los Angeles volumes increased more than 40 percent, while Miami recorded four percent growth compared with the previous season.

To manage the higher demand, Avianca Cargo reinforced its operational plan with infrastructure upgrades, digitalization initiatives, and a seasonal workforce increase of more than 30 percent. Specialized teams were positioned at key hubs to ensure continuity of service and uninterrupted imports to the United States.

Operations were supported by a joint fleet of nine freighter aircraft coordinated with Avianca Cargo Mexico, providing additional capacity and tighter scheduling across core lanes.

Diogo Elias, chief executive of Avianca Cargo, said the results reflected expanded capacity and strong collaboration across the supply chain. He noted the airline doubled cargo capacity on key routes to the United States and operated a coordinated freighter network across the Americas to meet market demand at high quality standards.

Cold chain integrity was maintained throughout the season. Flowers were handled exclusively in temperature-controlled areas, internal coolers were kept between four and eight degrees Celsius, and most shipments moved on aircraft equipped with temperature-controlled holds.

On the busiest day of the season, the carrier handled nearly one freighter arrival per hour in Miami, receiving more than 1,300 tonnes of flowers, underscoring the scale of the operation.