UAE’s SolitAir Gains AOC, Brings First Boeing 737 Freighter In-House
SolitAir has received its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on March 26, 2025. This certification allows the airline to bring in-house a Boeing 737-800 converted freighter, A6-SHO (msn 33023), which was previously chartered from ASL Airlines Ireland. The 20-year-old aircraft, which had been operated by Air India Express, SunExpress, and TUI fly before its conversion in 2023, is currently undergoing maintenance at Sofia airport. It had been ferried there under its previous registration, EI-HRA.
While the airline has not confirmed when it will begin operations with this dry-leased jet, SolitAir is also chartering two other Boeing 737-800 freighters from ASL Airlines Ireland, EI-HRB (msn 32686) and EI-HRF (msn 30879), which continue to operate under ASL’s ‘5H’ code.
SolitAir, founded by CEO Hamdi Osman, is planning further expansion, with ambitions to acquire AOCs from up to six additional countries after receiving certification from the UAE authorities. The airline intends to introduce scheduled cargo flights to regions across Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and Türkiye, serving a broad range of industries including freight forwarders and e-commerce.
Based at Dubai World Central, SolitAir operates from a 220,000-square-foot facility at the airport, with plans for further investment in facilities as it expands into new markets.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com