Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) has embarked on a strategic partnership with FlowerWatch, a consultancy specialising in flower supply chain monitoring and optimisation, to tackle the persistent challenge of temperature fluctuations in flower freight. This collaboration is designed to improve cargo quality, reduce waste, and extend the shelf life of highly perishable goods passing through the Dutch cargo hub.
Temperature inconsistencies during the transport of flowers are a significant issue, reportedly driving up to 20% waste in flower freight shipments. Dean Boljuncic, Head of Commercial Development at MST, emphasises that by making these temperature fluctuations transparent and actionable through the deployment of advanced monitoring tools—including data loggers and digital real-time analysis systems—losses can be drastically reduced. The resulting improvements are expected to boost profitability for customers while ensuring that flowers arrive fresher and remain longer-lasting for the end consumer.
The new system brought about by this partnership will provide MST with precise insights into environmental conditions throughout the supply chain, enabling immediate corrective actions when conditions deviate from optimal ranges. This capability is particularly relevant for the airport’s role as a key hub for high-volume flower shipments from Africa to European markets. By enhancing cold chain visibility and integrity, MST plans to optimise handling processes from origin to destination, directly improving quality assurance and customer satisfaction. This data-led approach also contributes to the airport’s sustainability goals by reducing waste.
MST is the second-largest cargo airport in the Netherlands and is uniquely positioned with capacity for new routes—something increasingly attractive to airline partners. The airport boasts strategic advantages such as direct motorway access and minimal congestion, enabling perishable goods like flowers, fruits, and vegetables to exit the airport within two hours of landing. The FlowerWatch partnership adds an innovative layer of digital intelligence to these logistical strengths. Temperature and handling key performance indicators (KPIs) are now integral to operational decision-making, ensuring that sensitive cargo benefits from meticulous management throughout its journey.
This initiative reflects MST’s broader ambition to reinforce its competitive edge as a preferred gateway for high-value, sensitive cargo. As Boljuncic expressed, the partnership represents a “game-changer” in perishable cargo operations, positioning MST not only to meet but exceed the demanding service levels expected by airlines and customers alike. Enhancing cold chain integrity and minimising waste aligns with rising industry expectations for sustainability alongside operational excellence.
MST has steadily expanded its cargo activities, including new services such as Turkish Cargo’s recent return flights and collaborations like the one with ECS Livestock for horse transport. The FlowerWatch partnership builds on these developments by focusing on the particularly vulnerable flower freight segment, which relies heavily on maintaining strict temperature controls to preserve product quality.
Overall, this data-led collaboration exemplifies how digital tools and real-time monitoring can transform perishable goods logistics in an increasingly complex global supply chain environment. For MST, leveraging technology to protect temperature-sensitive cargo not only safeguards product quality but strengthens the airport’s role as a vital hub in Europe’s perishables market.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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