Air New Zealand's Xmas airlift - 1000 tonnes of lamb for Britain

Lamb sales are running strong for NZ exporters. Photo / File

Air New Zealand is flying more than a 1000 tonnes of lamb to Britain this year as its global Christmas season airlift of fresh food hits top gear.

Fruit and vegetables are also in huge demand with 3200 tonnes of New Zealand capsicums and tomatoes heading to Japan and nearly 2000 tonnes of blueberries, capsicums and tomatoes on the way to Australia during the summer months.

Air New Zealand global manager cargo sales Alex Larsen says the holiday season is one of the busiest times of year with New Zealand products in hot demand.

"We play a key role for the nation's export industry, carrying meat and fresh fish such as salmon and crayfish, as well as fruit and vegetables to countries around the world via our extensive global cargo network,'' he said.

"Lamb is always hugely popular at this time of year in the UK and cherries are also top of the list for many with more than 1 million kilograms (1000t) of Central Otago cherries to be sent to Asia and the United States over the summer season."

Beef + Lamb New Zealand's new season outlook 2019-20 report forecasts lamb receipts to reach $3.26b for the year, the third year in a row they have exceeded $3b.

Air New Zealand flies food in the belly of its planes with Dreamliners capable of carrying up to 20 tonnes of freight on certain routes.

During the past year airlines around the world have hit barriers struggled with sagging demand. Cargo traffic - which can be very lucrative for airlines - turned negative last year for the first time since 2012.

The 3.3 per cent annual decline in demand was the steepest drop since 2009 during the Global Financial Crisis, says the International Air Transport Association.

Air New Zealand's cargo revenue in the last financial year was $390 million, an increase of 0.8 per cent, but excluding the impact of foreign exchange, down 1.8 per cent.

Global cargo traffic is expected to rebound moderately with 2.0 per cent growth in 2020, with tonnes forecast to reach 62.4 million although that is still down on the 2018 result.

Yields will continue to slide with a 3.0 per cent decline forecast for 2020, an improvement from a 5.0 per cent decline in 2019.

Cargo revenues will slip for a third year in 2020 with revenues expected to total $101.2 billion, ($153b) down 1.1 per cent from 2019.