LATAM Cargo started a new direct once a week freighter route between Bogota in Colombia and Huntsville in the US on Sunday (2 December).
The service was launched in response to Panalpina’s interest to cut down cargo travel time from South America to North America for perishables and its own commitment to meet the needs of its customers.
The LATAM Group’s team then assessed the feasibility of implementing this new destination in the US state of Alabama to bypass transit through Miami International Airport.
With this flight, Panalpina will reach Huntsville in approximately four and a half hours, cutting down distribution time and simplifying the logistics process. The freighter aircraft will have the capacity to transport 50 tonnes of cargo per flight.
LATAM Cargo Group chief executive officer, Andrés Bianchi said: “The sustainability of LATAM Cargo’s relationship with its customers is founded on trust and collaborative work.
“We are continuously supporting them with their projects by offering the best alternatives possible. This allows us to fulfill our desire to be perceived as strategic partners and to expand their business together.”
Panalpina senior vice president and head of air freight of the America region, Roberto Schiavone said the forwarder is “extremely satisfied” when it reaches such strategic level of cooperation with partners.
He added: “During the design process LATAM Cargo worked very closely with us to bring this innovative product into the market. This new flight, supported by our exclusive and recently inaugurated Perishable Center in Huntsville airport, will bring a competitive advantage to our customers.
“We will also use LATAM passenger flights from other countries in South America to feed our freighter out of Bogota, it is not only a service for the flowers from Colombia, but for all other perishable markets from the entire region. Together with LATAM Cargo, we are creating a new logistics import hub for the South American perishable products into USA market.”
Over the last three years, the LATAM Group has launched 67 new routes and in 2018 has opened 27 routes that include seven new destinations: San Jose (Costa Rica), Boston, Las Vegas, Pisco (Peru), Rome, Lisbon and Tel Aviv; and five new cargo-only routes: Miami-Brussels, Brussels-Montevideo, Amsterdam-Madrid, Madrid-Guarulhos-Santiago, Miami-Antofagasta-Santiago, plus the all-new Bogota-Huntsville service.
