Global South Trade Growth Drives Cargo Carrier SolitAir

When China’s President Xi Jinping met with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump last month in South Korea, part of the subtext for his messaging was, in so many words, “never mind your tariffs, we’re growing our trade with the so-called Global South and we don’t need America.” The prospect of yet more goods moving around the vast markets spanning the Far East to Latin America was music to the ears of Hamdi Osman, founder and CEO of Dubai-based freight carrier SolitAir, because that is exactly the business opportunity he is looking to exploit.

The carrier began taking delivery of Boeing 737-800 aircraft in October 2024 and now has seven in its fleet, with three of these on wet leases and four on dry leases. SolitAir obtained its air operator certificate from UAE officials in April and is already operating scheduled services to over 30 locations.

The growing route network already spans Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, with flights to India, Turkey, Iraq, China, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tanzania, Kenya, Libya, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The 737 freighters—one of which is on display at the Dubai Airshow—are keeping busy, sometimes making refuelling stops after six hours to continue on the longer routes, with weekly service frequencies ranging from three to six. Services to Egypt are set to begin soon.

In many cases, Osman explained to AIN, SolitAir is flying for major express delivery groups including FedEx, DHL, UPS, and Amazon. The operator prides itself on its flexibility in accommodating loads of varying weights and volumes, including items that require special care, such as pharmaceuticals, perishables, and batteries.

“For today’s customer, it’s more about how fast the service can be rather than how much it costs,” commented Osman, who worked for FedEx for more than 33 years. “You have to be agile to survive, and so anything that is routine we automate and anything that is exceptional we humanize. It’s all about meeting customer expectations.”