SolitAir Adds Port Harcourt To Dubai-Linked African Cargo Network

A new cargo connection is set to link Port Harcourt with SolitAir’s Dubai hub, adding another air-freight option for businesses moving goods between Nigeria, the Gulf and other markets on the carrier’s network.

The UAE-based carrier has added Port Harcourt International Airport to its African network alongside Hargeisa in Somaliland. Both Air Cargo Week and Aviation Business News reported that the additions are SolitAir’s first direct presence in Nigeria and Somaliland.

The expansion takes SolitAir’s African network to 20 destinations in 16 countries. The carrier said its services are designed to connect underserved African cargo markets with the Gulf through Dubai World Central, also known as Al Maktoum International Airport.

For Port Harcourt, the development is relevant to companies that rely on air freight around the city’s oil-and-gas economy and other time-sensitive supply chains. The reports did not provide a service timetable, freight rates or details of the cargo that will be carried on the Port Harcourt link.

SolitAir operates Boeing 737-800 converted freighters from Dubai and says each aircraft has a 20-tonne cargo capacity. The carrier also has an East African hub in Nairobi and says its wider network now covers more than 60 destinations in over 35 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

Hamdi Osman, SolitAir’s founder and chief executive, said the company was expanding towards destinations where there is demand for reliable cargo services and where it could support existing trade flows.

Sources: Air Cargo Week, Aviation Business News