News / SolitAir betting on India with $25m investment pledge

Photo: SolitAir

India is going to be the key market for start-up SolitAir, a Dubai-based cargo airline that began operations last year.

The carrier initially plans to invest up to $25m in its operations in the country, it told Indian media this week. 

Founded by FedEx veteran Hamdi Osman, SolitAir has three ASL-operated 737-800Fs. One was only delivered last week to Dubai from Shannon, but of the other two, one last week operated Dubai–Dhaka-Hong Kong, and the other flew between Dubai and Riyadh.

By the end of January, the carrier said, it had launched a service to Bangalore, as well as Erbil. 

India is the preferred destination; Mr Osman said it was “critical” to global trade, and at the top of his wishlist.  

“Based on cost and investment coming into India, we are talking anywhere between $20m to $25m investment in the Indian market in the first year,” he  said, adding that the investment could be doubled and tripled over the next two to three years as the carrier expands. 

SolitAir is eyeing the pharmaceutical trade in particular. 

“To us, Delhi and Mumbai are very important gateways. Bangalore is another. Ahmedabad, where the pharmaceuticals come from the south, is also a very important gateway to us. So we are looking at four or five gateways to be able to fly in and out of India,” he said. 

His FedEx background has meant the airline is focused on the express market, or a 12- to 14-hour service. 

“We live in a new era, called customer expectation, especially with ecommerce, with the new generation that we see people like us will be in demand, and I see it already happening since October, when we started,” he said. 

SolitAir has appointed GAC Shipping India as its GSA,  and its ultimate network plans include Africa, the Middle East, the subcontinent, and Central Asia.