Christmas crustaceans enjoy seasonal surge at Halifax Stanfield

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Halifax Stanfield International Airport’s (YHZ) cargo business, as traditional seasonal demand for seafood translates to millions of dollars’ worth of lobster and other seafood from Nova Scotia moving through the airport. This year appears to be no exception.

“By the end of the month, we estimate C$30 million in lobster will have been shipped from Halifax Stanfield in December alone,” said Bert van der Stege, Halifax International Airport Authority’s (HIAA) chief commercial officer. That strong demand is expected to continue through January 2018, ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday, which begins Feb. 16.

Carriers transporting live lobsters and other fresh seafood from Halifax Stanfield this holiday season include Air Canada, ASL Airlines, Atlas Air, Cargojet, DHL, FedEx, Korean Air Cargo and Qatar Airways Cargo, which will fly dedicated freighters directly into markets in Asia and Europe aboard 747, 777 and 767 aircraft.

At the airport, cargo export value is up 10 percent so far for 2017, year-over-year. By the end of the month, YHZ said it expects 2017 to set a new record for its air cargo business – driven primarily by demand for high-value seafood from the region.