Korean airlines are racking up bigger cargo orders thanks to growing imports of Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France and it is released for sale on the third Thursday of November.

Korean Air said on Wednesday that it has orders to move 1,350 tons or 1.21 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau. The airline plans to operate 25 cargo flights next month to move the seasonal wine. Some 96 percent or 1,300 tons will be flown to Japan and the remaining 50 tons or 45,000 bottles will come to Korea. .

Demand for Beaujolais Nouveau remains strong in Japan, which is the largest importer of the wine in Asia, and demand is growing in Korea, a Korean Air official said. The strong demand has boosted the import volume of Beaujolais Nouveau, which has played a big part in growing profits at the airline.

Asiana Airlines has orders to transport 1,100 tons or 930,000 bottles of the sought-after wine, operating eleven chartered planes to move wine to Japan. Asiana is also considering adding two more cargo flights.

(englishnews@chosun.com )