Twenty-seat cadet intake was launched this week. The batch will start classes in January 2027; top cadets progress to Boeing 737 flying with the Dubai cargo carrier
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — September 9, 2026 — SolitAir, the Dubai World Central-based cargo airline founded by Hamdi Osman, and Intercontinental Aviation Academy (FlyIAA), an EASA-approved flight training organisation, have launched a mentored cadet pilot programme that carries selected students from their first flying hour to the right-hand seat of a Boeing 737 freighter.
The programme opens with a twenty-seat intake at FlyIAA's bases in January 2027. Cadets train towards an EASA frozen Airline Transport Pilot Licence across an integrated syllabus of approximately 96 weeks, delivered under EASA regulations and the requirements of the competent authorities.
What distinguishes the programme is what happens around the syllabus. SolitAir engages with the cohort from the start — career guidance, skills coaching and airline-led several workshops on flight operations, safety culture and crew resource management. FlyIAA will provide structured performance reporting to SolitAir at each phase gate, on completion of ATPL ground school and again on completion of flight training.
On completion, a joint FlyIAA and SolitAir assessment board reviews every cadet in the cohort. SolitAir will take forward a minimum of five cadets.
"Every cadet worries about what happens after the licence? This initiative is another solution we present to our students. Our partner airline will be present in all stages. From the briefings, in the progress reviews and on the final assessment board. Five of these cadets will jump to a seat at a crossing that sometimes is the hardest in this industry," said Frederico Fernandes Global CEO, Intercontinental Aviation Academy.
Capt. Wissam Mehyou, Chairman of FlyIAA Global, highlighted, "Most of FlyIAA's UAE intakes are second-generation residents, born or raised in the Emirates and schooled here from their first year to our seat in the academy. For the UAE's carriers, this is a new and crucial domestic talent pipeline.
The United Arab Emirates has built the leading aviation ecosystems, and this initiative contributes to the UAE becoming a global reference in aviation training. Our part in it is to make sure the young people who grew up here are ready to take their place in it — and that real options are waiting for them on the day they finish."
Applications are now open at FlyIAA.
About SolitAir
Headquartered at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), SolitAir is the UAE's next-generation, dedicated B2B, airport-to-airport, express middle-mile cargo airline, connecting Dubai to key global trade hubs across the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, China, and Europe. Operating from its 20,440 sqm state-of-the-art logistics hub at DWC, SolitAir is strategically positioned to enable fast, secure, and high-volume cargo movement. The facility offers direct landside access for trucks and road feeder movements, direct airside access with runway connectivity for faster uplift and transfer, and sea–air connectivity via Jebel Ali Port, leveraging free zone status for seamless onward distribution. It operates under full custodial control, with on-site customs and police presence supported by 24/7 CCTV surveillance, and functions as a fully integrated bonded facility for freight consolidation, processing, import handling, customs clearance, direct customer delivery, and wider network connectivity. Designed to complement freight forwarders, integrators, airlines, SMEs, and e-commerce businesses. The airline's integrated platform spans four core service verticals — On-Demand Charters, Tailor-Made Programs, Scheduled Flights, and ACMI Services — enabling tailored solutions across both high-demand and underserved routes.
About Intercontinental Aviation Academy
Intercontinental Aviation Academy (FlyIAA) is an EASA-approved flight training organisation with flying bases in Italy, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, ground school operations in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and a base opening at Ponte de Sor, Portugal, in 2027. IAA delivers training from PPL through ATPL and MPL, type ratings on the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, Boeing 747 and Airbus A220, simulator training, and a university partnership pathway.
