Colombia’s Avianca Cargo has become the first airline in the Americas certified by the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Fresh program.
IATA representatives officially presented the certificate to the carrier at Miami International Airport (MIA) on 13 October. Miami and Bogota are the airline’s first certified stations, and Medellin and Quito will also be CEIV Fresh certified by the end of 2022.
Latin America represents more than 50% of the carrier’s transported cargo, including flowers from Colombia and Ecuador and other perishables such as fruit, fish, and meat products from Chile, Peru, Argentina to the US, Europe and the rest of the world.
Avianca Cargo chief executive, Gabriel Oliva, said: “This is a highly relevant milestone and we are very proud to receive this certification from IATA. Miami International Airport and all our allies are a fundamental part of the supply chain of perishable transport. We continue transforming our business and we want to continue being the best ally of our clients by transporting their products that are sensitive to time and temperature, under the highest quality standards. We continue to work every day to promote the development of Latin American economies and be a quality reference in the region.”
MIA director and chief executive, Ralph Cutié, added: “Congratulations to Avianca Cargo on being recognized for its dedication to cargo handling excellence. As the busiest US airport for perishable freight, handling 69% of all perishable imports to the US by air, we are proud to celebrate this global achievement with Avianca Cargo’s Miami operation.”
