News

Flower exports for Mother’s Day from Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport in 2026 grew by 16% compared to the 2025 season, solidifying this date as the second most important for flower exports by air, after Valentine’s Day.

According to data collected by Corporación Quiport, between April 16 and May 6—a period of 21 days—approximately 24,800 metric tons of flowers were exported, a figure that surpasses the 21,300 metric tons exported from Quito’s airport in 2025.

The peak day for flower exports during the 2026 Mother’s Day season was April 29, with a shipment of 1,641 metric tons, 4.1% more than the peak day of the 2025 season.

The volume exported on Mother’s Day is 15% lower than the volume exported on Valentine’s Day; however, this ratio is better than that recorded in 2025, when the Valentine’s Day volume exceeded that of Mother’s Day by 25%, indicating that the gap between the two dates is narrowing.

For Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Corporación Quiport, the growth during the Mother’s Day season is a sign of the increasing cargo activity at Quito’s airport. “Since 2022, Quito’s airport has been surpassing its historical records year after year, positioning Quito as one of the most important air cargo hubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, boosting exports and contributing to the development and economic growth of the city and the country,” Miró stated.

Indeed, Quito’s airport climbed from fifth to fourth place in the Latin American and Caribbean air cargo ranking, according to the most recent report from the Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC), published on Wednesday, May 6.

Quito Airport, managed and operated by Corporación Quiport, is ranked only below El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, and Felipe Ángeles Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, and surpasses Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago, Chile, and other major airports in the region.