Iran war lifts business for Dubai-based cargo carrier SolitAir

• 22 new customers since March
• Airline increased some prices by 40%
• Focus on underserved secondary markets

Dubai-based cargo airline SolitAir has increased business by 50 percent as supply-chain disruption linked to the Iran conflict drives demand for alternative freight capacity.

Since late March the carrier has gained 22 fresh customers, with new business accounting for about half of current activity. 

“There is a lot of short-term business in the market,” chief executive Hamdi Osman told AGBI. “There are a lot of customers now that have backlogs they need to clear.”

The Iran conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, while regional airspace has been shut at times during hostilities, raising costs and forcing airlines to reroute across other parts of the Middle East.

“A trip that used to take three hours now takes five, and that is before the added fuel, navigation, ground handling and everything in between,” Osman said.

As a result, SolitAir has increased some customer prices by about 40 percent on average, with certain routes seeing rates double.

The disruption has also reinforced the role of air freight during geopolitical shocks.

“It doesn’t matter what the geopolitics is. At the end of the day, goods, especially sensitive goods, need to move by air,” Osman said.

SolitAir launched its first flight from Dubai World Central to Riyadh in October 2024 and now operates scheduled express freight services.

Rather than compete directly with major hub carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, the company focuses on underserved secondary markets linking cities across the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and China.

Since its inception, the airline has expanded to 53 cities in under 16 months, surpassing an original three-year target of 50 destinations.

Further reading:

• Airlines face fare pressure as jet fuel prices rise
• Iran conflict dents traffic at Oman’s busiest airport
• Beyond Hormuz: how war is reshaping supply chains

Privately funded by investors from the Gulf, the US, Australia and Europe, SolitAir operates a fleet of five leased Boeing 737-800 freighter aircraft and aims to grow that number to 20 by the end of 2027.

The carrier employs 147 staff, including 47 pilots, and is three-quarters of the way through a Series A funding round.

Earlier this month, SolitAir secured Belgian ACC3 authorisation – a mandatory aviation security designation required by the European Union which gives it access to the bloc’s tightly regulated air cargo market.

“I want to be the connector between the Global South and Global North,” Osman said. Potential European destinations include Milan, Liège, Athens and Cyprus.