Perishables Air Charter: Flowers, Fruit and Fresh Produce
Full freighter charters for cut flowers, fruit, vegetables and other perishables, planned around the harvest, the cold chain and the market date. When belly space runs out at peak season, a charter gets your product to market while it still has its shelf life.
When a Perishables Charter Makes Sense
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Peak seasons. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day for flowers, and harvest peaks for fruit and vegetables, push demand far above scheduled capacity on the main export lanes.
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Belly space is not guaranteed. Perishables are often bumped when passenger flights are full of higher yield cargo or baggage.
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Volume. Growers, exporters and consolidators with enough product to fill a main deck can control the timing and the cold chain instead of splitting loads across several carriers.
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Market timing. A charter can be timed to land for a specific auction or retail delivery window.
Perishables We Charter For
Cut Flowers Roses and other cut flowers from East Africa, Ethiopia and South America into Europe, the Middle East and Asia, where every hour out of the cold chain costs vase life.
Fruit Berries, mangoes, avocados, stone fruit and other fruit where the harvest window is short and the product cannot wait for sea freight.
Vegetables and Fresh Produce Fresh vegetables, herbs and salad lines for supermarket and food service programmes.
Meat and Other Chilled Food Chilled and frozen meat and other food products, shipped with the health certificates the destination requires.
The Cold Chain, End to End
A perishables charter is only as good as its weakest hour on the ground. We plan:
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Before the flight: pre cooled product, cold storage at the origin airport and a tight cut off so pallets go from cold room to aircraft without waiting on the ramp.
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On the flight: an operator and aircraft that can hold the temperature your product needs, with pallets built and covered to protect it.
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After landing: a handler at destination with cold storage ready, and customs, phytosanitary and veterinary checks lined up so the cargo is not held in the heat.
Plan Peak Season Early
Freighter capacity for the big flower peaks is usually committed months ahead. Capacity for Valentine's Day, for example, is largely decided in the autumn. If you know your volumes for the season, talk to us early: a series of charters booked in advance costs less and is far more certain than searching for an aircraft in the final week.
Why Jetvice for Perishables
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Direct with the operator, so schedule changes reach you quickly, not through a chain of brokers.
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Honest aircraft matching. Flowers and produce are light for their volume, so we size the aircraft on volume as well as weight.
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One way economics explained upfront. Most perishables lanes are one directional, so the empty return leg is part of the price. Where a return load exists, we look for it.
Perishables FAQ
How much does it cost to charter a freighter for flowers or fresh produce? It depends on the aircraft, the distance, where the aircraft positions from and whether it returns empty. Most perishables lanes are one way, so the return leg is part of the price. A series of flights or a return load brings the cost per flight down.
When should I book capacity for Valentine's Day? As early as possible. Freighter capacity for the February flower peak is largely committed in the autumn, and last minute options are scarce and expensive.
What temperature are flowers and fresh produce shipped at? Most flowers and fresh produce travel chilled, a few degrees above freezing, but the right range depends on the product. Tell us the required range and we will match the operator and handlers to it.
What documents are needed for perishables? Usually a phytosanitary certificate for plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables, and veterinary or health certificates for meat and other animal products, plus the importing country's own requirements.
Can you arrange a series of flights for a whole season? Yes. For regular volumes a charter series, or an ACMI lease of a freighter for the season, is usually more economical than single flights. See aircraft leasing.
