Fedefruta visited cargo terminals at Arturo Merino Benitez Airport to review the coordination and investment that have been deployed to receive the load from producers, after the traffic jams that the entire logistics chain has experienced globally, and that have had an impact on the fruit sector. The visit took place at a time when the first blueberries and cherries of the season are being exported by air to the markets.
"There are more cherries in the fields this year because there have been good weather conditions. There's a strong increase in production and we think it can be a very good season for all," stated Jorge Valenzuela, the president of Fedefruta, during his visit to the cargo terminals of Aerosan and Teisa. Fedefruta was interested in checking the coordination at the airport, including the terminals, SAG, and the airlines, for the air shipments of fruit in November and December, a month in which they'll peak with the arrival of early harvests and cherries, mainly.
The visit was coordinated by I·Check Cargo Logistics and included the participation of representatives of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and ASOEX. During the visit, they saw how the aforementioned terminals were prepared to receive the trucks with fruit and take care of the transit of the cargo at the airport. The terminals are ready to move the fresh fruit cargo more quickly this season, as there's been significant investment in infrastructure to increase capacity by 30%, and the schedules for operating this type of product have been extended.
At the peak of the fruit season, the airport logistics chain can load around 600 tons of perishable products per day. In addition, approximately 70% of the flights with this type of export correspond to commercial aircraft, while the rest are carried out on freighters, which can carry four or five times more tons than passenger flights.
"We had a very good visit," Valenzuela concluded. "We got to see the reality of the air cargo for fruit and we can be optimistic about this kind of shipment. Logistical conditions and the coordination between terminals, operators, and the Agricultural and Livestock Service, all of which are critical to the operation, have greatly improved after the pandemic. We hope this will help us have a good early cherry season."
For more information:
Fedefruta
https://fedefruta.cl