According to the Ministry's webpage, an action plan has been defined to deal with the emergency situation caused by the eruption process of the Cotopaxi volcano and a possible shutdown of airport operations in Quito and Latacunga due to ash emissions.

After several meetings with representatives from flower exporters, airlines, cargo operators and palletization companies, a plan was drafted to maintain the normal flow of exports in the event that the airports of Quito and Latacunga were affected.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade will provide certificates of origin at the José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport in the city of Guayaquil, which will operate 24/7 for the airfreight of flowers, in coordination with the phytosanitary certification service offered by the Ecuadorian Agency of Agricultural Quality Assurance (AGROCALIDAD).

If possible, the cargo will continue being processed at the New Quito International Airport (NAIQ) and transported by land to Guayaquil to be palletized and prepared for shipment, using all the security mechanisms.

The José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport has the capacity to process 35 thousand kilos of cargo per hour; however, it does not have enough storage capacity. For that reason, in case the action plan is implemented, the airlines, palletization companies and cargo operators will have to coordinate immediately the operation hours in order to avoid congestions.

Source: Hortibiz, translated by Daltry D. Gárate