Flydubai Moves Into Main-Deck Cargo With Three Leased 737 Freighters

flydubai has become a freighter operator. From 1 October the Dubai-based carrier is flying three Boeing 737-800 freighters, supplied under a wet-lease agreement with SolitAir, in what it describes as the first phase of a wider cargo fleet expansion. The plan was announced on 11 September.

Under a wet lease the lessor provides the aircraft together with crew, maintenance and insurance, which lets an airline add capacity quickly without certifying a new type of its own. That matters for flydubai, which operates an all-737 passenger fleet and wanted capacity in place before the fourth-quarter peak in air freight.

What the freighters add

Each aircraft can carry about 23,000 kg of payload per flight. The freighters are based at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC), not at Dubai International (DXB), where flydubai’s passenger operation is concentrated. The airline said DWC gives its cargo division, flydubai Cargo, dedicated airside facilities and direct links into the Dubai South logistics zone.

The aircraft will fly both scheduled freighter routes and ad-hoc charters across flydubai’s network of more than 125 destinations, starting with high-demand regional sectors. The airline is targeting specialist freight that is hard to handle in a passenger aircraft hold, including pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals, dangerous goods, express parcels and aircraft parts.

Chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith linked the move to Dubai’s D33 economic agenda and the city’s role in e-commerce and trade. Chief commercial officer Hamad Obaidalla said cargo customers increasingly want guaranteed main-deck space and flexible schedules.

A longer cargo roadmap

The three leased 737s are a stopgap rather than the end state. flydubai said a much larger cargo step will come with its 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, its first widebody aircraft, whose lower holds will offer far more belly capacity than its narrowbodies. It also plans to study passenger-to-freighter conversions of its own aircraft from 2029.

Today flydubai operates 98 Boeing 737 passenger jets: 25 Next-Generation 737-800s, 69 737 MAX 8s and four 737 MAX 9s, according to the company.

The timing reflects a cargo market at Dubai that is still rebuilding after this year’s regional airspace disruption. Dubai Airports reported that DXB handled 751,340 tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026, 28.7 per cent less than a year earlier, though 351,716 tonnes of that came in the second quarter as capacity returned.

By putting freighters at DWC, flydubai also aligns its cargo business with Dubai’s long-term airport plan. Dubai Airports has said DWC is the focus of a US$35 billion expansion announced in May 2024.