Late July, US airfreight wholesaler Solent Freight Services launched a new flight service from Quito (Ecuador) and Bogota (Colombia) to Miami in response to increasing demand for perishables. This includes fruits, vegetables as well as flowers. “It is the first new service between these cities in many years,” said Gonzalo Mogollon, president of Solent Air in Latin America.
The schedule is Miami – Bogota – Quito – Miami twice a week. Extra flights will be available leading up to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day as well as during peak holiday times. The airline will continue to fly this route for at least 12 months. Flights are being launched with Trans-Caribbean Cargo, a Miami-based charter company, using a SkyLease aircraft.
While there are some air freight services between Ecuador and Miami, there has been no new capacity in years,” said Simon Milne, Solent’s CEO. “Everyone in South America has been suffering due to a lack of capacity and very high rates, with aircraft being pulled for higher-revenue routes, such as Asia-US or intra-US.”
Although capacity and rates have started to stabilize, demand is still high. Milne hopes that the addition of this schedule will result in a balanced position for both Ecuador and Colombia.
