Mother's Day Flower Exports Hit Record 24,800 MT (+16%); Quito Airport Rises to 4th in LatAm Cargo Rankings
Ecuador's floriculture sector posted a record Mother's Day export season, shipping 24,800 metric tons of flowers through Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport between April 16 and May 6 — a 16% increase over the 21,300 MT moved in the same 2025 window.
Season Performance
| Metric | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's Day exports | 24,800 MT | 21,300 MT | +16% |
| Peak day (Apr 29) | 1,641 MT | — | +4.1% |
| Valentine's Day exports | 39,000 MT | — | — |
| MD vs. Valentine's gap | -15% | -25% | Narrowing |
Mother's Day remains the second-largest floriculture export window after Valentine's Day. The gap between the two seasons narrowed from 25% in 2025 to 15% in 2026, suggesting that Mother's Day demand is growing faster than the Valentine's peak — a structural shift worth tracking.
Logistics Infrastructure
Avianca Cargo reported its largest Ecuador Mother's Day season on record:
- 4,829 tons of Ecuadorian flowers transported (+55% YoY)
- Operations scaled from 9 to 24 weekly flights from Quito during peak season
- 330+ total flights executed
- Fleet: 9 dedicated cargo aircraft
CEO Diogo Elías stated: "Ecuador is a priority market within our regional strategy. The 55% growth in volume reflects our capacity to rapidly scale operations and serve expanding demand."
Avianca Cargo estimates that one in every three flowers exported from South America to the United States traveled on its aircraft.
Airport Ranking
Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport climbed from 5th to 4th in air cargo rankings among Latin American and Caribbean airports. Ramón Miró, president and general director of Corporación Quiport, stated: "The Quito airport has been breaking its historical records year after year since 2022."
The ranking improvement coincides with the Aeropuerto de Cancún group's acquisition of indirect control of Quiport — potentially positioning the airport for further cargo infrastructure investment.
What to Watch
- Valentine's 2027 outlook. With Mother's Day at 24,800 MT and the seasonal gap narrowing, the Valentine's benchmark of 39,000 MT faces upward pressure. Whether logistics capacity can scale accordingly will determine whether the sector hits tonnage ceilings
- Cancún group impact on cargo. The new Quiport ownership by a Mexican airport operator may accelerate cold-chain and cargo terminal investments needed to sustain 16% annual growth rates
- Avianca's Ecuador expansion. The jump from 9 to 24 weekly flights shows significant operational flexibility. Whether this capacity is maintained post-season or scaled back will indicate Avianca's long-term Ecuador positioning
- U.S. tariff exposure. Ecuador's floriculture sector benefits from duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Any changes to U.S. trade policy would directly impact competitiveness against Colombian and Kenyan competitors
- Regional competition. Colombia remains the only country that ships more flowers to the U.S. than Ecuador. Avianca's combined Ecuador-Colombia operations give the airline a dominant position in the LatAm-to-U.S. flower logistics chain
Sources: El Universo
Source
El Universo — "Exportación de flores por el Día de la Madre rompe récord en el aeropuerto de Quito"
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