MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2025--
Avianca Cargo, a leading cargo carrier in the region, successfully concluded its Mother’s Day 2025 seasonwith a historic record, transporting over 20,100 tons of fresh flowers—a 15% increase compared to last year. The shipments originated from Colombia and Ecuador, reaching destinations across North America and Europe.
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This achievement reinforces Avianca Cargo’s position as the #1 flower carrier from Colombiato the United States and solidifies its status as one of the top players in the global flower transportation market.
To meet the heightened seasonal demand, Avianca Cargo doubled its operational capacity, expanded critical infrastructure, and delivered 24/7 flower service across strategic terminals without disrupting its broader operations.
“Mother’s Day is one of the most important seasons for the flower industry, and we are proud to once again fulfill our commitment. We celebrate a historic record that reaffirms our market position and leadership as the flower carrier of the season between Colombia and the United States," said Diogo Elias, CEO of Avianca Cargo. "Thanks to all our key stakeholders and clients, we recognize each of these 20,100 tons as a shared achievement.”
Key Logistics & Infrastructure Milestones:
With over five decades of experience, Avianca Cargo reaffirmed its leadership in key markets:
Miami played a pivotal role in Avianca Cargo’s Mother’s Day 2025 operations, serving as the primary gateway for flower imports into the United States.
Avianca Cargo was the first airline in the Americas to receive CEIV Fresh certification, underscoring its leadership in perishable transport, which accounts for over 50% of its cargo. Ensuring flower longevity requires specialized knowledge, including process documentation on temperature control at critical points as well as risk analysis—essential tools for proper handling of each product.
During 2024 Avianca Cargo transported over 150,300 tons of flowers, more than 85%, through Miami hub. To support this increased volume, Avianca Cargo boosted its local workforce by 30%, reinforcing Miami’s position as the main point of entry for Colombian and Ecuadorian flowers. Miami not only enabled the efficient distribution of blooms nationwide but also contributed to the broader economic impact of the floral industry. The city’s strategic importance continues to grow as Avianca Cargo expands its capacity and strengthens partnerships across the supply chain.
With an ongoing commitment to service excellence, sustainability, and operational innovation, Avianca Cargo continues to lead the market in perishable goods transportation and to invest in future-ready solutions.
“Thanks to airline partners like Avianca, more than 1,000 tons of flowers have been arriving at MIA every day in the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day,”said Ralph Cutié, Miami International Airport Director and CEO.“That equals nine out of every 10 flowers imported to the U.S. In fact, flowers continue to be MIA’s largest imported product, accounting for nearly 380,000 tons worth $1.8 billion annually. Congratulations to Avianca on having its best Mother’s Day season ever for flower shipments, which is helping MIA have yet another record year in cargo volume.”
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado highlighted that,“Almost every flower that will be touched by a mother or grandmother in the United States came through Miami International Airport and through Avianca. And that’s why today we celebrate the partnership, the infrastructure, and focus in on the different points throughout the supply chain.”
About Avianca Cargo
Avianca Cargo, an air cargo airline, is the main operator in different markets in the Americas with a capacity of 220 cargo flights and more than 1,400 passenger flights with bellies. It serves more than 70 destinations in the route network in Latin America, United States and Europe, and 70 interline agreements connecting the airline to more than 350 destinations worldwide, with the average cargo fleet with the lowest environmental impact. It is the first airline in the Americas to obtain IATA CEIV certifications in four different categories: Pharma, Fresh, Live and Lithium Batteries; in 2024 it was recognized as one of the six Best Cargo Airline in the Americas by Air Cargo News and continues to elevate its position in relevant markets and in 2024 received the ESG Award from the Aviation Achievement Awards.
Avianca Cargo moved more than 20,100 tons on 300 dedicated cargo flights, exclusively for flower shipments.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.
In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.
Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.
Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.
But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.
More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.
The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.
“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”
Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.
People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.
More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .
“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.
The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.
Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.
While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.
“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."
The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.
Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”
"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.
Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”
The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.
Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.
A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
