Economies across the world are grinding to a halt amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but farmers can’t stop working. The country depends on them to keep their dinner plates full.
Planting season is here for soybean and corn crops in America’s heartland, and these seeds are a top commodity shipped aboard flights from Argentina into the United States.
Passenger flights are currently stopped between the two countries, but the seeds are still arriving on one of American’s cargo-only routes. The flight broke the American’s all-time record for freight volume, moving 115,349 pounds of soybean seeds on a Boeing 777-300 — the equivalent weight to 76 cows or 20,900 chickens.
The previous record for American’s 777-300 was 103,384 pounds, set in 2014 on a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR).
“We are proud to be a part of this important cycle that supports local farming and provides vital food and fuel for the global economy. Transporting record-breaking volume in the process is just icing on the cake,” said Lorena Sandoval, Director of Cargo Sales for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. “With reduced flight schedules due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to maximize every inch of available cargo space. We’re here to support the world’s food supply, no matter what we face.”