This year’s 2026 Mother’s Day season has been the most important in the more than half-century history of Avianca Cargo. The company reported that, for the occasion of that traditional celebration, it transported one out of every three flowers to the United States and exceeded 330 flights in barely three weeks, above the more than 300 it operated for the same purpose in 2025.
Based on the figures it provides, the specialized airline literally deserves to be showered with flowers: during this season (from April 15 to May 4), 42% of Colombian flowers exported to North America were carried on its aircraft, surpassing the company’s regular weekly figure of 30%.
In addition, during the days of highest intensity, Avianca Cargo recorded approximately 24 daily takeoffs loaded exclusively with flowers (more than 1,600 varieties including the most requested, such as sunflowers, roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and hydrangeas), equivalent to nearly 24 million stems transported in 24 hours.
Approximately one flower for every American
“Colombia is the center of our operation: from the country we have nearly 60 weekly cargo frequencies and more than 700 passenger frequencies, on which we also transport cargo,” explained Angela Maria Orozco, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Avianca Group, during a press conference in which the company presented a balance sheet on flower transportation during the 2026 Mother’s Day high season.
“We are proud to connect the country with more than 80 destinations in 28 countries through our passenger network and with more than 60 direct cargo destinations,” Orozco added.
Avianca Cargo CEO Diogo Elias also addressed the matter: “Today we are seeing the result of an operation that fills us with pride: we led the largest season in Avianca Cargo’s history, transporting 42% of Colombian flowers to the United States. We transported 330 million stems throughout the season, approximately one flower for every American, that is, more than 21,000 tons of flowers. This speaks to the magnitude and scale of our operation, and to the coordinated work among the actors in the logistics chain.”
“We grew 8% compared to last year. We fly to Miami, California and Puerto Rico, where our reception centers are located. Approximately 80% of the flowers sold in the United States are Colombian,” he added.
Indeed, one of the main points where this ground operation is concentrated is Miami, as it becomes one of the key stations for the arrival and distribution of flowers. There, a 20% increase in operational personnel was recorded, allowing the opening of a new, more efficient inspection area developed in coordination with the United States Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP).
Main air transporter of flowers from the region to the U.S.
On the Medellin-Miami route, Avianca Cargo held an approximately 65% share. On the Bogota-Miami route, it maintained around 35% in a market under increasing competitive pressure. On the route to Los Angeles, it expanded its operation from 3 to 5 frequencies compared to the 2025 Mother’s Day season.
Likewise, Ecuador registered a 57% increase in the volume of flowers transported by Avianca Cargo compared to the previous year. To respond to that demand, the airline increased its capacity in Quito, going from 9 to 24 weekly operations compared to a regular week, including those enabled through its commercial agreement with Amazon Air Cargo.
With Colombia and Ecuador combined, Avianca Cargo positions itself as the main air transporter of flowers from the region to the United States, consolidating its leadership in the two most important export markets in South America.
The Mother’s Day season represents 18% of the annual revenue of Colombian floriculture. It is the most demanding logistics period of the first half of the year. The Colombian flower-growing sector generates 240,000 direct and indirect jobs. Sixty percent of its workforce is made up of women, and half of them are single mothers heading households.