Lufthansa Cargo flying 40 million roses into Europe for Valentine’s Day

Lufthansa Cargo is currently flying entire freighters filled with roses, in readiness for Valentine’s Day, this Sunday.

In a press release, the Lufthansa Group’s cargo airline said it will be transporting over 1,500 tons of the sensitive product this year –  equivalent to about 40 million roses or the capacity of 16 flights with the MD-11 freighter. “Lufthansa Cargo always adds special charter flights to its regular flight schedule in February – this year with flights from Quito, in Ecuador, and Kenyan capital Nairobi, to Frankfurt – to meet the high demand on Valentine’s Day,” it said.

The company’s special Fresh/td product was developed especially for the shipment of perishable products, such as flowers and food, and has all the very latest equipment and facilities, it said.

“The roses’ journey usually starts in Kenya and South America. These countries offer the best conditions for growing roses, with an ideal climate all year around. Sophisticated logistics ensures that the roses are quickly and carefully transported from the countries where they are cultivated to their final destinations.”

The roses are harvested at the flower farms several times a day and then immediately placed in water and cooled. After being sorted and packaged, they are sent straight to the airport and into the cooled cargo holds of the freighters.

“The roses’ stay at Frankfurt Airport is but a short one and they usually find themselves in the hands of romantics all over Europe within a few hours of landing at the city on the Main,” Lufthansa Cargo said.

Source: Lufthansa Cargo