American Airlines Cargo has been carrying more than 10 tonnes of sweet chestnuts a day between Rome and New York to help US customers enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Used in the preparation of soups, desserts, flours and creams, the chestnuts originate in the Campania region of Italy, around Naples.
They are harvested in the mountains and placed into jute sacks before being delivered to American Airlines Cargo’s facility in Rome.
The jute sacks are fixed onto wooden pallets and need to be kept away from direct sunlight while in transit before being loaded onto American’s daily Boeing 777-200 flights from Rome Fiumicino to New York JFK.
The seasonal traffic usually only occurs for a couple of weeks in mid-October but with the growing demand, this year’s season has already been running for six weeks.
American Airlines Cargo sales manager, Richard Hartmann says: “Whether its chestnuts roasting on the streets of New York or families preparing a traditional stuffing to accompany their Turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas, our team in Italy has worked hard with our shipper and forwarder partners to deliver record tonnages of chestnuts this year.”
