During Peru's main blueberry harvest window from August to November, export volumes increase sharply, with peak activity in September and October. As one of the world's largest blueberry exporters, Peru faced capacity constraints on the Lima to New York corridor last year when production volumes exceeded available passenger belly space.
Air Charter Service was engaged to arrange the transportation of 440 tons of blueberries from Peru to New York over a two-week period. The shipment responded to supply requirements from US supermarkets and distributors, particularly on the East Coast, where fresh produce is expected to arrive within 24 to 36 hours of harvest.
Ana Benavente, CEO of ACS São Paulo, said: "Peru's main blueberry harvest runs from August to November, peaking in September and October. The country is one of the world's top blueberry exporters and, during these months, export volumes spike sharply — too much for regular passenger belly capacity to handle, especially on the Lima to New York route.
"Supermarkets and distributors in the US, especially on the East Coast, require fresh produce to be delivered within 24–36 hours of harvest. When a supplier's yield exceeded the expected capacity during peak harvest season, we were asked by one of our clients if we could arrange the urgent transportation of 440 tons of the fruit from Peru to New York over two weeks. Perishable cargo rarely flies on full charters, but the sheer volumes dictated that they were needed this year. We sourced four Boeing B747-400Fs, which were able to carry out the flights, each with 110 tons on board, with a few days in between each rotation.
"One of our team flew with the first aircraft to ensure everything ran smoothly, and he coordinated with the warehouse when the aircraft arrived, to ensure the cargo was properly broken down and successfully delivered to the trucks in as swift a time as possible."
The operation illustrates how peak harvest volumes can exceed standard airfreight capacity and require dedicated freighter aircraft to maintain time-sensitive supply chains.
Source: AJOT
