Cargo flights boost fresh food exports [1]
Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 10:02. Updated on Friday, March 18, 2016 - 17:33.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 1, March 2003.
When the 727-200 Tiger Line Cargo aircraft landed at the Fua‘amotu International Airport on February 18, it marked the dawn of a new era in the air freighting of cargo from Tonga to the market places of New Zealand, Honolulu and the West Coast of the USA.
The restraint on the export of fresh fish and agricultural produce from Tonga overseas because of a lack of an efficient and fast transport is no longer a problem.
The Tiger Line scheduled service to the Pacific islands flies twice a week between Tonga and Los Angeles via Honolulu and Pago Pago on Tuesday and Friday, and once a week to Auckland on Thursday, then returns to Tonga on Friday, and onward to the USA.
‘Epeli Kalemani of the Door to Door Services, the agent in Tonga said that they air freighted eight tonnes of fresh and live fish on their first flight to the USA. The aircraft’s full capacity is 27 tonnes.
Steven Edwards, a director of the Door to Door Services was elated with the new air service. “We have got the aircraft that can fulfil our objective and maintain the fresh quality of our fish and produce until it gets to the markets. What we need now is more exporters.”
One of the fish exporters agreed whole-heartedly with Steve. Bill Holden from ‘Alatini Fisheries, who exported fish on the first flight of the Tiger, said that his buyers in Honolulu was thrilled with the freshness of the fish, “I am considering putting the price up,” joked Bill.