The work on renovating Neuquen’s International Airport to enable it to load the first flights of cherries, that will be exported directly from Argentina’s Patagonia, has begun.
The Government of the Province of Neuquén, via its Economic Development Agency, SME Centre - ADENEU, has given the starting signal for Neuquen’s air terminal to become the third cargo airport in the country, after the Ezeiza International Airport and the Benjamin Matienzo Airport in the Tucuman province, epicenter of the Argentine blueberry exports abroad.
The first flight is planned to take place in late November and operations will continue throughout December. The producing and exporting companies CECO SA, Delfina Cherries and Vista Alegre SA will be exporting 200 tonnes through the airport this season.
The operations will be conducted during the night and these first shipments will target Hong Kong and the EU, so that the harvested fruit will be available in the most demanding markets in the world the day after being harvested thus maintaining the product’s high quality.
This initiative is the start of a comprehensive project which is aimed at the establishment of a Logistic Exporter and Importer Node in Patagonia, this will improve the area’s competitiveness by allowing it to directly export abroad, perishables (several fruits, berries, vegetables, bulbs, etc.), non-perishable goods, and even import and export supplies and equipment for the oil industry from the southernmost region in the world.