COLOMBIA · ECUADOR · MARKETS
Key Facts
- —What is happening Avianca Cargo, the freight unit of Colombian airline Avianca, runs 16 weekly cargo flights from Quito to the United States, 12 to Miami and four to Los Angeles, its chief executive said on Wednesday, 21 October.
- —Why it matters Flowers lead the cargo, and the United States took 67% of Ecuador’s Mother’s Day flower exports this year, so air capacity from Quito to Miami matters to US importers and florists.
- —The numbers Each Miami freighter carries up to 65 tonnes, and in peak weeks the operation can grow 2.5 times, from 12 weekly flights to about 24 or 30.
- —Who is who Diogo Elías is chief executive of Avianca Cargo, Expoflores is Ecuador’s flower growers’ association, and Amazon Air Cargo supplies extra capacity on the Quito to Miami route.
- —What to watch The next test is Valentine’s Day on 14 February 2027, when capacity can rise sharply, while no new route or start date has been announced.
- —Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you US importers and florists get a steady air link for Ecuadorian roses, but the interview gives no new route and no company results, so it is not an investment signal.
Avianca Cargo, the freight unit of Colombian airline Avianca, flies 16 cargo flights a week from Quito to the United States. Most carry Ecuadorian flowers, and capacity can grow 2.5 times at peak.
Avianca Cargo, the freight unit of Colombian airline Avianca, runs 16 weekly cargo flights from Quito to the United States. Twelve go to Miami and four to Los Angeles, mostly carrying Ecuadorian flowers.
Chief executive Diogo Elías described the network to Metro Ecuador in an interview published on Wednesday, 21 October. He said capacity can grow 2.5 times at Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
What Avianca Cargo Flies From Quito
The 12 weekly Miami flights use Airbus A330 freighters that carry up to 65 tonnes each, Elías told Metro Ecuador. The four weekly Los Angeles flights serve a second major destination for the flowers.
Cargo for Europe goes from Quito to Bogotá, where it connects to flights to Madrid, Barcelona, London and Paris. Madrid is the main European destination, he said.
Flowers rank first among the Ecuadorian goods the airline carries, ahead of fruit and fish. On the way in, it brings pharmaceuticals, car parts and e-commerce goods.
The interview announces no new route, no start date and no extra weekly flights. The latest addition, a five flight Quito to Miami service, began in March 2026.
Peak Seasons Can Multiply the Flights
In the weeks around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, the operation can grow up to 2.5 times a normal week, Elías said. Metro Ecuador puts that at about 24 or 30 weekly flights instead of 12, depending on demand.
Valentine’s Day brings mainly red roses, while Mother’s Day brings more colours and varieties. The company plans with its customers through the year for both peaks.
Expoflores says farms ship 150,000 to 160,000 boxes a day at the Valentine’s peak, against 18,000 or 19,000 normally. A farm sells about 30% of its year in that season, its chief executive Alejandro Martínez told El Diario.
At 65 tonnes a flight, 12 full Miami freighters carry up to 780 tonnes a week, and 30 flights up to 1,950. These are upper limits from the quoted capacity, not reported loads.
The Amazon Air Cargo Link
Since the first quarter of 2026, Avianca Cargo has run a Quito to Miami service on capacity supplied by Amazon Air Cargo. It adds five weekly flights, El Diario reported on 15 April.
Ecuador is the second market, after Colombia, where Avianca Cargo uses Amazon capacity, STAT Times reported. The two companies began working together in 2025 on the Bogotá to Miami route.
Quiport, the company that runs Quito airport, backs the service. Its chief executive, Ramón Miró, said the airport wants to attract more cargo airlines.
In October 2025 Avianca Cargo said it had moved more than 100,000 tonnes of flowers from Ecuador and Colombia in 2025. It then listed nine A330 freighters, six A330F and three converted A330P2F, shared with its Mexican unit.
Ecuador’s Flower Business Under US Tariffs
Ecuador shipped 39,000 tonnes of flowers for Valentine’s Day 2026, up 3% to 3.5% in volume, Expoflores said. Revenue was estimated at US$274 million to US$276 million, below US$282 million in 2025.
US volumes fell about 6%, which Expoflores blames on the US tariff surcharge and on weather. The United States and Canada took 57% of the shipments, Europe 37% and South America, Central America and the Caribbean 4.9%.
For Mother’s Day, exports from 16 April to 6 May reached about 25,054 tonnes, roughly 5% below 2025. The United States took 67%, and Expoflores cited a curfew in Ecuador, continuing US surcharges and weather, Expreso reported on 8 May.
The production minister said flowers would get zero tariff under the reciprocal trade agreement Ecuador signed with the United States in March. The foreign minister said on 14 March that the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly still had to act, Extra reported.
The US surcharge of 15% on Ecuadorian goods had applied since 7 August 2025, El Mercurio reported. Whether it has been lifted for flowers was not confirmed.
What It Means for US Readers
The flights end in Miami and Los Angeles, where US importers, wholesalers and florists receive the flowers. Expoflores estimates the average Valentine’s price fell 1.4% in 2026, though tariffs, weather and freight capacity all move it.
Amazon’s air freight capacity now sits inside the Ecuador to Miami supply line, which shows how a US company supports it. The interview gives no revenue or profit figures for Avianca Cargo, so it is a logistics story, not a results report.
Background is in the end of the Colombia and Ecuador tariff war, Colombia’s US tariff talks and Peru’s air cargo growth. See also Ecuador coverage and Colombia coverage.
What Is Not Known
The interview gives no new routes, start dates or schedule for 2027. It does not say whether the five Amazon capacity flights are part of the 12 Miami flights.
Avianca Cargo gave no 2026 flower tonnage, revenue or profit. No confirmation was found that the US surcharge on Ecuadorian flowers has now been lifted.
What Comes Next
The next peak is Valentine’s Day on 14 February 2027, when Elías says the operation can grow up to 2.5 times. The airline has not published its extra flight schedule for that season.
Expoflores said in February that having flowers on the list of tariff relief products would be a great gain. That does not mean the trade agreement has taken effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Avianca Cargo say about Ecuadorian flowers?
Its chief executive described 16 weekly cargo flights from Quito to the United States in an interview published on 21 October. The interview announced no new route.
How many flights does Avianca Cargo fly from Quito?
It flies 16 a week to the United States, 12 to Miami and four to Los Angeles. Cargo for Europe goes through Bogotá.
How much can capacity grow for Valentine’s Day?
The operation can grow up to 2.5 times a normal week. Metro Ecuador puts that at about 24 or 30 weekly flights instead of 12, depending on demand.
What is Amazon Air Cargo’s role?
Amazon Air Cargo supplies capacity for five weekly Quito to Miami flights run by Avianca Cargo since March 2026. Ecuador is the second market, after Colombia, with this arrangement.
How much did Ecuador export for Valentine’s Day 2026?
About 39,000 tonnes, up 3% to 3.5% in volume, according to Expoflores. Revenue was estimated at US$274 million to US$276 million, below US$282 million in 2025.
Sources: Metro Ecuador, 21 October; STAT Times, Avianca Cargo and Amazon Air Cargo; El Diario, 15 April; STAT Times, Avianca Cargo fleet, October 2025; Teleamazonas, 12 February; El Diario, Expoflores interview, 10 February; Expreso, 8 May; Extra, 14 March; El Mercurio (all accessed 22 October 2026).
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Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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