flydubai Launches Freighter Operations From DWC on 1 October 2026: Three Boeing 737-800 Freighters Wet-Leased From SolitAir, 23,000 kg per Flight

11 September 2026

flydubai will launch dedicated freighter operations on 1 October 2026, flying three Boeing 737-800 freighters from Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), under a wet-lease agreement with Dubai-based cargo airline SolitAir. The airline announced the move on 11 September 2026. Each freighter flight adds 23,000 kg of payload capacity to the cargo flydubai already carries in the holds of its 98 Boeing 737 passenger aircraft. DWC becomes the freighter hub of flydubai Cargo, which will sell both scheduled freight routes and ad-hoc charters across a network of more than 125 destinations. flydubai calls this the first phase of its cargo fleet expansion: more capacity is due once its 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners are delivered, and passenger-to-freighter conversions will be evaluated from 2029.

What flydubai announced on 11 September

The announcement was published in the flydubai newsroom on Friday 11 September 2026. The key points:

flydubai presents the launch as part of its diversification strategy and says the first phase gives it main-deck capacity straight away, ahead of the fourth-quarter peak season. The initial freighter flights will target high-demand regional sectors, with frequency scaled up as operational capacity grows. The announcement does not name the first routes, the flight schedule or the rates.

Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith linked the move to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and to the airline’s codeshare and interline partnerships: “By building on the strength of our network and expanding our cargo offering and list of codeshare and interline partners, we are creating new pathways for businesses to move goods more efficiently, access new markets and contribute to economic growth across the region and beyond.”

What a wet lease with SolitAir means

In a wet lease, the lessor supplies the aircraft together with the crew that flies it, and usually maintenance and insurance as well, which is why the industry also calls it ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance). The airline taking the lease sells the capacity through its own commercial network. It is a way to add capacity without first buying aircraft: in this case, freighter flights begin 20 days after the announcement. The duration and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

SolitAir is a Dubai-based cargo airline. According to its company overview, it was founded in 2024 by Hamdi Osman, a former Senior Vice President of FedEx Express, is headquartered at DWC and works as a B2B express cargo airline with daily scheduled and charter services on Boeing 737-800 aircraft. In an announcement on 8 September 2026, SolitAir said it operates seven Boeing 737-800BCF converted freighters from a 20,440 square metre hub at DWC, serves more than 60 destinations in over 40 countries and aims to grow its fleet to 20 aircraft by the end of 2027.

One figure differs between the two companies. flydubai quotes 23,000 kg of payload capacity per flight for the aircraft it is taking, while SolitAir describes its 737-800BCF freighters as capable of carrying 20 tonnes each. Neither announcement explains the difference, so the payload available for a specific shipment is best confirmed at booking.

Main deck versus belly hold: what changes for shippers

Until now, flydubai Cargo has relied on the lower holds of passenger aircraft, where the space left for cargo depends on the passenger schedule and on the baggage on board. A freighter carries cargo on its main deck and can be scheduled around the cargo itself. Chief Commercial Officer Hamad Obaidalla described what customers ask for: “As trade requirements evolve, our partners require guaranteed main-deck capacity, flexible scheduling and specialised handling.”

flydubai says the dedicated aircraft allow tailored handling of specialised commodity streams:

• aerospace components;
• temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals;
• perishables;
• live animals;
• express courier shipments;
• dangerous goods.

According to the airline, operating from DWC lets flydubai Cargo offer point-to-point charter and scheduled freighter capabilities across more than 125 destinations in Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central and Southeast Europe, the GCC and the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. With three aircraft at the start, that describes the reach of the network rather than a list of freighter routes: the first flights go to high-demand regional sectors that the airline has not yet named. Under Mohamed Hassan, Senior Vice President of Airport Services and Cargo, and Rashid Albashri, Vice President of Cargo, flydubai plans to turn flydubai Cargo into a full-service logistics provider offering both scheduled freight routes and ad-hoc charter solutions.

Why DWC

flydubai says DWC gives its cargo division dedicated airside infrastructure and direct multimodal access via Dubai South, the district around the airport. When the AED 128 billion new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International was approved on 28 April 2024, the Dubai Media Office said the airport would ultimately handle more than 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year, and that the city being built around it in Dubai South would host leading companies from the logistics and air transport sectors.

The freighter launch comes one day after Dubai Airports set out the next steps for DWC. On 10 September its CEO Paul Griffiths said the second runway at DWC should open by the end of 2027 and flydubai will probably be the first airline to move part of its passenger operation there. The two announcements are separate: that passenger move is still unconfirmed and has no date, while the freighter operation has a fixed start date of 1 October 2026. Construction is also moving ahead, with Dubai Airports planning to award a further AED 55 billion of DWC contracts by the end of 2026.

The policy frame Al Ghaith referred to is the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, launched on 4 January 2023. According to the UAE Government portal, D33 aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy within a decade, raise foreign trade in goods and services to AED 25.6 trillion over the decade from AED 14.2 trillion in the previous one, and add 400 cities to Dubai’s foreign trade map. Air cargo is one part of a logistics system that also includes ports and the national rail network, covered in our overview of the UAE as a multimodal logistics hub.

What is still unknown

• The first freighter routes and the flight schedule.
• Rates and the booking channel for freighter capacity.
• The term of the wet lease with SolitAir.
• On which routes dangerous goods, live animals and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals will be accepted.
• The delivery schedule for the 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. flydubai ordered them on 13 November 2023 in a deal worth USD 11 billion; at the time deliveries were expected from 2026, and the 11 September release gives no updated date.

What this means for companies in the UAE

This is a new service with a fixed start date, not a change in rules. Nothing in the announcement alters licensing, visas, customs procedures or tax. What changes from 1 October is the choice of capacity: companies that ship from Dubai, directly or through a forwarder, get another main-deck option on a scheduled or charter basis, on a network that covers Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the GCC and South Asia.

For a trading company planning shipments in the fourth quarter, a practical checklist:

• Route and schedule. Ask flydubai Cargo or your forwarder whether your destination will be served by a freighter or only by belly capacity on passenger flights, and on which days.
• Payload and dimensions. Confirm what is available for your shipment at booking, especially since the two companies quote different payload figures for the aircraft.
• Special cargo. For dangerous goods, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, perishables or live animals, check acceptance on the specific route, the temperature range and handling at both ends, and the declarations and certificates the carrier requires.
• Destination rules. Import permits, product registration and health certificates are set by the destination country, not by the airline.
• Your own paperwork in Dubai. The licence activity has to match the goods, and customs registration should be in place before the first shipment; our guide to setting up an import and export company in Dubai walks through the steps.
• Timing. The freighters start on 1 October, ahead of the fourth-quarter peak, so request capacity and rates early if November and December volumes matter to your business.

How Atlant Capital can help

We do not book freight or clear cargo; that is the work of airlines, freight forwarders and customs brokers. We handle the corporate side that has to be in place before the first shipment. That means company registration on the mainland and in the free zones, including a licence activity that matches the goods a company actually trades, corporate and personal bank account opening with a properly assembled KYC and source of funds package, and residency and work visas for founders, families and staff. Accounting, audit, VAT and corporate tax filing are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network rather than in house. We do not promise approvals, rates or timelines that a regulator, a bank or a carrier has not given in writing.

FAQ

When does flydubai start freighter flights?

flydubai starts dedicated freighter operations on 1 October 2026. It will fly three Boeing 737-800 freighters from Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), wet-leased from Dubai-based SolitAir, each adding 23,000 kg of payload capacity per flight. The first flights will target high-demand regional sectors; the announcement of 11 September 2026 did not name the routes.

What cargo will the flydubai freighters carry?

flydubai says the freighters allow tailored handling of aerospace components, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals, express courier shipments and dangerous goods. flydubai Cargo will offer both scheduled freight routes and ad-hoc charters, in addition to the cargo it carries in the holds of its 98 Boeing 737 passenger aircraft.

What is SolitAir?

SolitAir is a B2B cargo airline headquartered at Dubai World Central, founded in 2024 by former FedEx Express executive Hamdi Osman. In September 2026 it said it operates seven Boeing 737-800BCF converted freighters and serves more than 60 destinations in over 40 countries. Under the wet lease it provides flydubai with three Boeing 737-800 freighters together with their crews.

Why is flydubai basing its freighters at DWC?

flydubai says DWC gives flydubai Cargo dedicated airside infrastructure and direct multimodal access via Dubai South. Al Maktoum International is planned for more than 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year at full build, and Dubai Airports expects its second runway to open by the end of 2027.

Will flydubai add more cargo capacity after the first three freighters?

According to the airline, yes. flydubai says significantly greater capacity will follow once its 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners are delivered; it ordered them in November 2023 in a deal worth USD 11 billion. It also plans to evaluate converting passenger aircraft into freighters from 2029 onwards.