Air New Zealand Cargo gears up for Christmas
23 / 12 / 2019
Air New Zealand is playing a part in many Christmas dinners around the world, flying meat and vegetables destined to grace many tables on this year’s big day.
According to the carrier, the airline’s cargo team is working with New Zealand meat producers and exporters from around the country to fly meat to numerous international markets, including moving more than a thousand tonnes of lamb to the UK.
It is also flying large amounts of fruit and vegetables out of New Zealand, including 3,200 tonnes of capsicums and tomatoes to Japan and 1,900 tonnes of blueberries, capsicums and tomatoes to Australia during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months.
Air New Zealand global manager cargo sales Alex Larsen noted that the Christmas season is one of the busiest times of year for New Zealand food products.
“We play a key role for the nation’s export industry, carrying meat and fresh fish such as salmon and crayfish, as well as fruit and vegetables to countries around the world via our extensive global cargo network,” he pointed out.
“Lamb is always hugely popular at this time of year in the UK and cherries are also top of the list for many with more than 1m kg [1,000 tonnes] of Central Otago cherries to be sent to Asia and the United States over the [Southern Hemisphere] summer season.”
Earlier this month (December), Air New Zealand confirmed that it had been awarded the Sustainable Business Leadership award at Delloite’s Top 200 awards ceremony. The award recognised the airline’s leading efforts to operating in a more sustainable manner.
