“Hamdi 3.0” is how Hamdi Osman describes his decision late in his life to relaunch himself in the air cargo business, following a distinguished, 34-year career with FedEx and 12 years after retiring from the freight giant to dabble in investment.
Just six months after obtaining its United Arab Emirates air operator certificate, SolitAir, the Dubai-based airline he founded in October 2024, flies seven Boeing 737-800 freighters on more than 30 “underserved and high growth” routes.
The two most recent joined from UK lessor World Star Aviation in September and October to lead a charge into Africa, where SolitAir has recently launched scheduled routes into Africa.
“In Africa, we’re tapping into a region whose air cargo sector is on a growth spurt,” says Osman. New destinations include Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania; Eldoret and Nairobi in Kenya; Benghazi in Libya; Johannesburg in South Africa; Lusaka in Zambia; and Harare in Zimbabwe.
Osman – a former senior vice-president with FedEx Express for Europe, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Africa – is targeting a fleet of 20 aircraft by 2027, with a network of 50 cities. “We want to be the king of narrowbodies in this region,” he says.
SolitAir’s strategy is to transport mostly time-sensitive express goods from industrial and agricultural producing countries to markets in the Middle East, Africa and the former Soviet Union. “We think there is a niche where we complement the [Gulf-based] airlines, which are focused on widebodies and long-haul,” he says.
“Our journey over the past year has exceeded expectations,” adds Osman (pictured), who first moved to Dubai in the early 1990s and stayed. “In 12 months, we’ve become a crucial logistics link for regional supply chains.”
SolitAir is exhibiting at the Dubai air show, with an aircraft on the static display (pictured). Its presence, says Osman, gives SolitAir a chance to “invite our customers to see what aviation is about”, and “to look for new opportunities”.
After retiring in 2012 from FedEx, where he was responsible for around 220 aircraft, Osman began investing in start-ups as an angel investor but avoided his old industry. “My view was anything but logistics,” he says.
However, when e-commerce boomed during the pandemic stay-at-home orders and travel bans, “I got some calls looking for help”. Eventually, with two former colleagues, he raised money, found premises, and began the process of applying for the AOC.
His first three aircraft were wet-leased from ASL Airlines, with the next four acquired under dry leases, on SolitAir’s own AOC. The company now operates from its own 20,000sq m (220,000sq ft) hangar at Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport, with dedicated customs and immigration.
SolitAir’s regular consignments include flowers and fresh fruit, electronics and pharmaceuticals, as well as e-commerce consumer goods – with everything hubbed through Dubai. Customers include all the large airlines in the region, as well as freight forwarders.
According to Osman, it is not a particularly price-sensitive market. “Today’s customer wants things quickly, so it is more about speed and, of course, safety, and then price,” he says.
In August, SolitAir launched its first direct route to mainland China, with a service to Urumqui in the west of the country, tapping into economic links with the UAE’s biggest trading partner, says Osman.
