34 Million Roses for Valentine's Day

Lufthansa Cargo, one of the world's largest cargo carriers will be transporting more than 1,200 tonnes of roses for Valentine's Day this year. That amounts to the record number of around 34 million Valentine roses or 14 fully loaded MD-11 freighters.

Lufthansa Cargo aircraft are currently flying in roses from South America and Africa to the airline's hub in Frankfurt/Germany. The stopover at Frankfurt Airport is very brief. Within hours of landing, the roses are flown to consignees in Europe and beyond.

Among the major producers of fresh-cut flowers are suppliers in Kenya, Ecuador and Columbia, where the flowers are picked in the morning by rose producers and quickly transported to the airports. Lufthansa Cargo serves all three countries with frequent weekly freighter services. Such sensitive freight requires sophisticated transport solutions to ensure the roses look dewy fresh on Valentine's Day and for some days afterwards.

(Source: TravMedia.com 12th February 2011)