US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and LAN Cargo officials provided a behind-the-scenes view into America’s flower gateway ahead of Valentine’s Day at Miami International Airport.
The airport is the busiest in the US for flower imports handling more than 91% of the countries flowers shipped from across the world. Nearly 22 million flowers arrive at the airport daily during the Valentine’s week, and 209,000 tons are processed each year at a value of nearly US$1bn.
Emilio T González, aviation director for Miami Airport, said, “If you’ve ever wondered where your Valentine’s Day flowers come from, nine times out of 10 they came through Miami Airport. Even more amazing is that flowers are just 10% of the 2.2 million tons of goods moving through our global gateway each year, making us the nation’s leading airport for international freight.”