Emirates subsidiary flydubai is expanding its cargo business by launching dedicated freighter operations.
The Dubai-based carrier will introduce three Boeing 737-800 freighters from October 1 under a wet-lease agreement with SolitAir. Each aircraft will provide around 23 tonnes of payload capacity per flight, adding main-deck capability to flydubai’s existing belly-hold cargo operation.
The freighters will be based at Dubai/Al Maktoum, where flydubai Cargo will benefit from dedicated airside infrastructure and multimodal connections through the Dubai South logistics district. The airline intends to operate both scheduled services and ad-hoc charters, initially concentrating on high-demand regional markets before increasing frequencies as the operation develops.
Dedicated aircraft will also enable flydubai to expand into specialist cargo sectors requiring greater capacity or specific handling arrangements, including temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals, aerospace components, express shipments and dangerous goods.
The freighter operation complements cargo capacity across flydubai’s 98-strong Boeing 737 passenger fleet and comes ahead of the peak fourth-quarter freight season. Further belly-hold capacity is expected as the airline begins receiving its 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The airline’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the launch of dedicated freighter operations marked an important step in the carrier’s evolution and reflected its commitment “to supporting Dubai’s vision through enhanced trade connectivity and logistics capabilities.”
Longer term, flydubai is evaluating passenger-to-freighter conversions from 2029, potentially allowing it to develop its own dedicated cargo fleet beyond the initial wet-leased aircraft.
