ICELANDAIR | PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The new nonstop Icelandair flights to Pittsburgh may soon be carrying far more than just passengers and their personal luggage back to the Steel City. They also plan to carry all sorts of seafood from this North Atlantic country to be delivered to Pittsburgh’s restaurants and supermarkets. 

Fish is the main product of Iceland. While various fish varieties will be offered, the primary focus will be salmon and catfish. Icelandair is able to carry 5 tons of cargo shipments on the lower decks of their 737 MAX 8 passenger transatlantic flights.  

Bob Kerlik, spokesman for Pittsburgh International Airport, said they expect the shipments to begin in four to six weeks or at least by the end of the summer. In as quickly as 24 hours, supermarkets, restaurants and other locations could have fresh fish on their shelves. 

In 2022, Iceland was named the seventh-largest exporter of all things fish with an estimated value of $1.19 billion, according to The Observatory of Economic Complexity, a data visualization site for international trade data. The OEC states that the United States is the fastest-growing market for Iceland’s fish exports with an estimated $64 million value in 2022, a 36% increase from 2021.

With fish being highly perishable, time is vital when shipping cargo. “Air freight is time-sensitive. People are paying 10-20 times for surface transportation,” said Roy Linker, manager of Cargo Gravity LLC, in a statement. “A lot of that speed is in the air, but it doesn’t do any good in the air if it’s bogged down on the ground.”

Because of PIT’s location and its proximity to surrounding highways, inbound cargo can easily be delivered to the Midwest, East Coast, Canada and other major destinations, officials say. The limited air traffic avoids overcrowding seen at other major gateways and has 24-hour customs always available, according to Blue Sky News, PIT’s news service. 

“Considering the market share we have in cities close to Pittsburgh like New York-JFK, Chicago and Boston, I envision that [Pittsburgh] is going to be a very good opportunity for us to fill the plane with fish,” Jorge Dorta, Icelandair’s Cargo Operations Manager for the U.S., said in a statement.

THE FISHING VILLAGE OF HUSAVIK, ON ICELAND’S NORTHERN COAST. | PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Icelandair’s hub at the international airport outside of the capital of Reykjavík acts as a connecting point between North America, Iceland and Europe. With their global partnerships, expedited cargo transportation can be offered in areas such as Asia. 

Construction continues on the new 77,000-square-foot Cargo 4 facility at PIT. It aims to improve the overall function of the airport’s international shipment abilities when it opens later this year. 

“The engagement with the authorities and cargo community isn’t like what we’ve got in many other cities,” said Dorta. “A small airline like us, we are not like a Lufthansa or [British Airways] or other bigger airlines. But the attention that we are getting from the authorities, the port, customs and everybody is very encouraging.

“I think the future is going to be great here in Pittsburgh.”

Jilian Musser’s reporting is supported by the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.