Hamdi Osman, a long-time Dubai resident and former Senior Vice President of FedEx, has transitioned from a successful career at the express transportation giant to founding SolitAir, the UAE’s first cargo-only airline. After 34 years at FedEx, where he managed 51,000 employees and oversaw operations across 132 countries, Osman launched SolitAir two years ago to innovate air cargo logistics.

As Founder and CEO of SolitAir Cargo Airline, Osman aims to address first-mile and last-mile challenges in the AMEISC region with a fast, reliable B2B model. According to Gulf News, he stated, “By connecting over 50 cities within a 6-hour radius of UAE, our vision is to become the leading digital, daily scheduled, time-sensitive, express middle mile airline transportation company, meeting 12-24-hour connectivity needs.”

In December 2024, SolitAir announced its first daily scheduled flights between Dubai and Riyadh, which have since expanded to cover five days a week to Riyadh, three days to Dhaka, and two days to Hong Kong from Dhaka. The service operates between Dubai World Central and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, collectively handling 1.2 million tonnes of air freight annually using Boeing 737-800 freighters with a capacity of 23 tonnes.

To support its growth, SolitAir recently added another Boeing 737-800 freighter to its fleet, enabling expansion into key markets such as India and Bangladesh, as well as various hubs across Africa and the Middle East. Osman revealed that the company raised $35.5 million in its first funding round and plans to seek $40 million in the second round for further expansion into Saudi Arabia and Africa over the next two years.

Osman’s journey began with a desire to play professional football, which led him to the United States in the 1960s. He initially washed trucks for FedEx, but his hard work and ambition saw him quickly promoted through various roles, eventually meeting the Chairman of FedEx. Osman recalled that this encounter was pivotal, leading to his promotion to a driver, and he later ascended to Senior Vice President, akin to a CEO role, overseeing operations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent before retiring in 2012.

After retirement, Osman co-founded Innoventures Education, creating schools, and became an angel investor in startups, even earning the title “Investor of the Year” in 2019. He initially resisted returning to aviation when friends sought his help during the pandemic, but he eventually embraced the opportunity, citing his passion for the industry.

Reflecting on his extensive experience, Osman noted that he had previously launched Blue Dart Express in India in the 1990s and established Falcon Express Cargo Airlines in the Middle East. These ventures laid the groundwork for his current work with SolitAir, through which he aims to drive innovation and efficiency in air cargo logistics.

The International Air Transport Authority (IATA) forecasts that cargo revenues will reach $157 billion, constituting 15.6 percent of total revenues by 2025. Osman emphasized the importance of the cargo sector during the pandemic, stating, “Absolutely. Cargo was one of the few industries that thrived during the pandemic, and express cargo operations became even more crucial.”

With a team of 60 employees, 48 of whom have backgrounds in aviation, Osman believes that collaboration with major players like FedEx, UPS, and DHL is key to SolitAir’s success. He explained that while these companies typically operate wide-body aircraft, SolitAir fills the gap for urgent shipments that require narrow-body aircraft.

In a recent development, SolitAir selected OASES as its first Maintenance & Engineering software provider, marking a significant step in its operational plans. The signing ceremony occurred at the Aviation Week MRO APAC Conference in Dubai on February 11, with both Osman and Paul Lynch, Group Managing Director of OASES, in attendance.