SolitAir launches first European cargo route with Sofia service
The new service links the carrier's Middle East, Africa and Asia network with the EU market following ACC3 approval, marking the next phase of its expansion.
Dubai-based cargo carrier SolitAir has launched cargo services to Sofia, marking its first destination in the European Union. The new service to Vasil Levski Sofia Airport has been made possible by the airline’s ACC3 (Air Cargo and Mail Carrier from a Third Country) designation, granted by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority.
The new route connects SolitAir’s hub at Dubai World Central (DWC) with South-Eastern Europe, linking the airline’s existing network across the Middle East, Africa and Asia with the EU single market for the first time.
Hamdi Osman, Founder & CEO of SolitAir, said, “Sofia is more than a new dot on the map - it is the first European link in a network we have built city by city across some of the world's most commercially vital, yet underserved, trade routes. Our ACC3 certification was never just a regulatory milestone; it was the key that would let us connect the markets we already serve to Europe.”
Sofia is located at the meeting point of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and has good road and rail connections with the wider EU market. The city has become an important logistics and manufacturing centre, with growing demand for time-sensitive air cargo, including e-commerce shipments, automotive parts, pharmaceuticals and perishables. These are key cargo sectors already served by SolitAir. The new route also gives freight forwarders, integrators and e-commerce companies in Europe direct access to SolitAir’s network across the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the STAN countries and China.
The launch follows SolitAir’s ACC3 approval, which allows the airline to transport cargo and mail into the European Union and the European Economic Area in line with EU aviation security rules. Together with its UAE GCAA Air Operator’s Certificate and EASA Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation, the approval completes the regulatory requirements needed for SolitAir to operate scheduled freighter services into the EU.
The Sofia service is the latest step in SolitAir’s network expansion. Since starting operations in October 2024, the airline has grown to 56 routes across more than 34 countries, including a 17-city network in Africa centred on a hub in Nairobi. The addition of Sofia marks the airline’s first expansion into Europe and extends its network beyond the Global South.
SolitAir operates a fleet of seven Boeing 737-800 BCF freighters, each with a cargo capacity of 20 tonnes. The aircraft are designed to carry dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals, perishables, valuable cargo and oversized freight. The airline plans to expand its fleet to 20 aircraft, operating from its 20,440-square-metre cargo hub at Dubai World Central (DWC), Al Maktoum International Airport.
