Flydubai has handed Unitpool-style ULD operations to Unilode Aviation Solutions under a long-term agreement that covers its new freighter fleet and its forthcoming Boeing 787 widebody services, the carrier announced as it builds out a cargo business that began flying only on 1 October.

The Dubai-based low-cost operator signed the deal with Unilode just weeks after launching dedicated freighter operations for the first time, marking a rapid sequencing of cargo infrastructure decisions around a fleet that until this autumn consisted exclusively of 98 passenger Boeing 737s.

What does the agreement cover?

Unilode will run a fully outsourced unit load device management programme for flydubai, supplying the specialised containers and pallets that fit inside aircraft cargo holds across both passenger bellyhold and maindeck freighter operations.

The scope extends to the airline's future widebody fleet — the Boeing 787 Dreamliners flydubai has on order — as well as its long-term fleet expansion. Services include:

• ULD supply, maintenance and repair
• Fleet planning
• Repositioning
• Digital asset tracking, backed by Unilode's global repair network

For an airline that has operated a single-aisle, all-passenger model since its founding, outsourcing ULD management rather than building the capability in-house is a structural choice: it converts what would be a capital and staffing commitment into a service contract at the moment flydubai's cargo network is still unproven.

Why did flydubai move into freighters?

The freighter launch gives flydubai maindeck capacity to complement its existing bellyhold cargo business on the passenger network. Rather than purchasing aircraft, the carrier is wet-leasing three Boeing 737-800 freighters from SolitAir — an asset-light entry that avoids acquisition risk while it tests dedicated cargo demand.

Operations began on 1 October, a date flydubai said was chosen to deliver immediate maindeck capability ahead of the fourth-quarter peak season. That timing matters for a new cargo operator: Q4 remains the highest-yield window for air freight out of the Gulf, and entering the market with capacity in place for peak avoids the alternative of launching into the softer first half of the year.

The freighters will operate alongside the airline's 98 passenger 737s, which continue to provide bellyhold capacity across the existing network.

How does the 787 fit in?

The Unilode agreement points to the wider transformation underway at flydubai. The 787 order takes the carrier into widebody operations for the first time, and the deal explicitly covers both passenger and cargo services on the Dreamliner fleet.

Rashed Albashri, vice president of cargo at flydubai, framed the ULD decision around the twin transitions now running in parallel. "As we introduce our dedicated freighter operations and prepare for our future Boeing 787 passenger and cargo services, improving the visibility and availability of our cargo equipment becomes increasingly important," he said.

"Unilode's digital capabilities and global network will help us optimise operations, improve ULD utilisation and support reliable service delivery across our expanding network," Albashri added.

Unilode chief executive Ross Marino positioned the contract as covering each stage of the carrier's growth. "As flydubai expands its passenger network, strengthens its cargo freighter operations and prepares for future fleet development with the expected delivery of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, our outsourced ULD management solution will provide the flexibility, visibility and operational resilience needed to support every stage of that journey," Marino said.

What comes next?

The immediate test is the peak season itself: whether three wet-leased 737-800 freighters can establish flydubai as a credible maindeck operator in a Gulf market where Emirates SkyCargo already sets the benchmark from the same Dubai hub. Beyond that, the carrier's cargo ambitions scale with the 787 programme — and the Unilode contract signals flydubai intends its cargo business to grow in step with the widebody fleet that will define its next decade.