In the three seconds that it would take for you to read this sentence, approximately 10 pieces of cargo would have been processed through Emirates SkyCargo’s hub in Dubai. The air cargo carrier transports more than 250,000 pieces of cargo each day, including vital commodities that touch people’s lives – from life-saving medicines to tasty and fresh produce from across the world. Every year, during the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day on 14 February, Emirates Skycargo also transports some of the most popular gifts offered for Valentine’s Day.
“Emirates SkyCargo is an important facilitator of cross-border trade and commerce across the world. However, on a more individual level, we also play a role in spreading joy in people’s lives. During the two or three weeks leading up to Valentine’s we always see a sharp increase in the transport of popular gifts for Valentine’s Day such as flowers, perfumes and chocolates. We take our commitment to delivering smiles around the world very seriously,” said Dennis Lister, Emirates VP Cargo Commercial Development.
Wondering what to buy your Valentine this year? Here are the top five commodities that are transported on Emirates SkyCargo for Valentine’s Day:
Flowers: Flowers and roses in particular are by far the most popular gifts for Valentine’s Day and in the month of January 2022 more than 3,000 tonnes of flowers were flown by Emirates SkyCargo freshly harvested from farms in Kenya, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia and many other countries. A majority of the flowers are first flown to the Netherlands, home to the world’s largest flower auction market, and then redistributed to other global markets.
Chocolates: Another universal favourite, chocolates are popular gift options, not just for Valentine’s Day but for other celebrations as well. In 2021, Emirates SkyCargo transported more than 150 tonnes of premium chocolate around the world during the months of January and February with a sharp surge during the week before Valentine’s Day. Brussels, Zurich and Düsseldorf are the main European points where chocolates are loaded on Emirates’ flights ahead of Valentine’s Day. Closer to our home, Beirut is also a major exporter of chocolates catering to markets in the Middle East.
High-end perfumes: Perfumes are also in high demand as gifts in the weeks leading up to the big day. Over the last week of January alone, Emirates SkyCargo moved more than 200 tonnes of high-end perfumes from cities in France, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands to the rest of the world, just in time to stock retail shelves ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Watches, Jewellery: High-end watches, jewellery and accessories are also favoured gifting options for special occasions. Between mid-January and early- February there is a marked increase in the volume of high-end watches and other accessories that are shipped on Emirates’ flights. Zurich, Geneva and Hong Kong are the main points of origin for watches that are then distributed to the rest of the world. Last year, Emirates SkyCargo transported more than 1,200 tonnes of high end watches in January and February.
Electronic gadgets: Last but not the least electronic gadgets and especially items such as mobile phones are also in high demand as gift items for Valentine’s Day with shipments witnessing a rush in the last few days to Valentine’s Day. In the two week period leading up to Valentine’s Day, Emirates SkyCargo flew more than 1,500 tonnes of electronic gadgets from manufacturing destinations in Asia to consumer markets across the world.
Emirates SkyCargo is the air freight division of Emirates, offering cargo capacity to customers over a global network of more than 140 destinations across six continents.
