In this paper, we describe a possible experimental realization of Bose`s idea to use spin chains for short-distance quantum communication (Bose 2003 Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 207901). Josephson arrays have been proposed and analysed as transmission channels for systems of superconducting charge qubits. Here, we consider a chain of persistent-current qubits, that is appropriate for state transfer with high fidelity in systems containing flux qubits. We calculate the fidelity of state transfer for this system. In general, the Hamiltonian of this system is not of XXZ-type, and we analyse the magnitude and the effect of the terms that do not conserve the z-component of the total spin.