AIR NEW ZEALAND CITES CARGO GROWTH OF FRESH PRODUCE, E-COMMERCE GOODS

Air New Zealand said it is set to carry a bellyful of Kiwi goods to international markets in time for the festive and summer season.  

 

In a statement, it said the list includes around 1,400,000kg of blueberries sent up to Australia; around 930,000kg of lamb sent up to the UK for Christmas; more than 900,000kg of cherries up to Asia; and 1,500,000kg of capsicums up to Japan, with a further 73,000kg to Australia.

 

Anna Palairet, Air New Zealand general manager, said carriage is up 11% on the same period last year, showing the growing demand for air freight leading into the holiday period. 

 

"It’s been an incredible year for New Zealand exports, and we’re proud to have kept trade lanes open throughout the pandemic with the help from the Government’s Maintaining International Air Capacity (MIAC) scheme," Palairet said.

 

The Air New Zealand executive noted that for the past two years, itsimports have looked a little different, carrying more PPE to support New Zealand’s health response to Covid-19.

 

Rise in fresh produce, e-commerce

 

The likes of sanitisers, gowns, gloves and Covid-19 testing kits have been filling up the belly of our aircraft en route back to Aotearoa. And more recently, it’s been a real privilege to be part of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to the Pacific Islands.

 

“Next to our fresh produce exports, we’ve also seen the rise of inbound e-commerce cargo, showing the increasing trend of online shopping and fast fulfillment," Palairet added.

 

"Over the next few years, we’ll be focusing on supporting growth for e-commerce customers, while helping to grow our perishable customers into new markets."