Feb 13, 2025 - News

Miami airport projects record-setting Valentine's Day flower shipments

Martin Vassolo

US Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists inspect flowers for harmful pests before travel within the United States following their arrival at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, on February 7, 2025. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists inspect flowers at Miami International Airport. Photo: Giorgio VIera / AFP via Getty Images

Miami International Airport is projecting a record-setting flower haul this Valentine's season, with an estimated 1,500 tons of cut flowers coming through every day between Jan. 1 and the end of February.

The big picture: MIA is America's largest cargo gateway for flowers, receiving 91% of all air imports to the U.S., according to a press release. (The rest pass through Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports.)

Flowers are MIA's largest imported product by weight, totaling over 350,000 tons annually worth $1.65 billion.

Zoom out: Most of MIA's flowers come from Colombia and Ecuador, the top flower-producing countries in the region.

Avianca Cargo, based in Medellín, Colombia, is Miami's largest flower importer, transporting 18,000 tons of flowers on 300 cargo flights over the past three weeks, per the AP.
"We transport flowers all year round, but specifically during the Valentine's season, we more than double our capacity because there's more than double the demand," senior vice president Diogo Elias said at a news conference last week.

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Miami airport projects record-setting Valentine's Day flower shipments

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