For Valentine’s Day, Swissport International, a world-renowned operator of ground and air cargo services, has skillfully planned the transportation of 9,000 tons of fresh roses in the spirit of love. This achievement demonstrates the company’s logistics expertise in managing fragile and urgent cargo.
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Swissport: Aviation Handling Experts
In the aviation sector, Swissport is one of the biggest global suppliers of ground and cargo handling services. They employ more than 65,000 people worldwide and run operations in more than 300 airports in 47 countries. The services provided by Swissport include ramp operations like aircraft loading and unloading, as well as passenger services including check-in, boarding, and luggage handling. They also provide logistics, transportation, and warehousing services related to cargo handling. Swissport, with an emphasis on efficiency, reliability, and security, is vital to the smooth running of airports and the delivery of top-notch customer service by airlines.
Valentine’s Day and Swissport
Swissport’s massive cargo centre in Nairobi, Kenya handles 400–500 tonnes of cargo every week, of which an astounding 85% consists of fresh flowers. And this volume increases by 50% to 55% in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Possessing the IATA’s CEIV Fresh certification, this facility is a safe harbour for perishables such as flowers, which are an important export from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The Flower Corridor, a component of Swissport, is the real star of the show. By establishing a connection between Nairobi and important European hubs as well as markets in the Middle East and Far East, this creative cold-chain solution redefines how fresh-cut flowers are handled. Farmers, airlines, and shipping companies are working together to reduce waste and give fragile flowers an extra week to survive on the shelf.
Completely sealed gateways and delivery truck docks are just two examples of how Swissport pays unmatched attention to detail. Before being transported, flowers are carefully screened for temperature, placed into Unit Load Devices (ULDs), and cooled to a mere 2ºC. The flowers stay just as fresh as the moment they were picked because of modern infrastructure. “The main goal is to make sure that every single rose reaches its destination as fresh as the moment it was harvested, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing the carbon footprint,” states Musungu. The CEO of Swissport, Dirk Goovaerts, agrees, emphasizing the organization’s dedication to developing new solutions and working with local cargo communities.
The Idea of Sustainability
Even when transportation by air is taken into account, roses cultivated in Kenya have an unexpectedly smaller environmental impact than those grown in Europe. According to a study conducted by the Swiss retailer Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund, compared to their European counterparts, Kenyan roses consume substantially less energy and produce far fewer greenhouse gases.
An essential aspect of the sustainability movement is Swissport’s Flower Corridor, which demonstrates how cutting-edge logistics techniques could transform the handling of fresh cut flowers and help create a more environmentally friendly future.
The Flower Corridor programme will keep extending the vase life of these fragile blooms this Valentine’s Day as millions of roses travel from Nairobi to Europe and beyond, guaranteeing that love never fades.
The flower industry is changing as of February 12, 2024, and Swissport’s Flower Corridor is leading this transformation. The Flower Corridor is not only changing the logistics industry but also assisting in the preservation of the beauty and freshness of nature’s most treasured blossoms by prioritising sustainable development, safe handling, and transportation.