Solenta Aviation

Cargo hubs & stations

Solenta states that it maintains maintenance outstations in several African and Asian countries. A reliable list of its own air cargo online stations could not be built from primary sources and is therefore left empty.

• JNBO.R. Tambo International AirportCargo hub

Fleet & capacity

The fleet entry refers to the four large cargo door ATR 72-500s agreed in October 2022. Public directories give widely diverging totals for the overall fleet, so no total figure is stated here.

Special cargo

Solenta Aviation (Pty) Ltd is a South African air operator headquartered in Fourways, Johannesburg. Formed in October 2000, the company positions itself as a specialist provider of tailored flight operations rather than as a scheduled cargo carrier. It operates jet and turboprop equipment on ACMI wet and dry lease and takes on turnkey operations and management mandates, holding South African Part 121, 135 and 138 air operator approvals. For forwarders the relevant part of the business is cargo flying on behalf of DHL. According to the parties involved, Solenta operates DHL Express' regional West Africa network and has been part of that route system for roughly two decades. In October 2022 lessor ACIA Aero Leasing and Solenta agreed with DHL Express to convert four ATR 72-500s into large cargo door freighters to be operated by Solenta. Further fields of activity are oil and gas, mining, humanitarian aid, charter and tourism. The technical base sits with sister company Solenta Aviation Workshop (Pty) Ltd, an aircraft maintenance organisation approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority under certificate number 874. Its main facility is at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, supported by outstations in Gabon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, Mozambique, Chad and Djibouti among others. Solenta has been a Flight Safety Foundation member since 2006 and BARS Gold registered since 2013. One point matters for documentation: Solenta acts as an operator on behalf of third parties. No own IATA designator, own AWB prefix or own shipment tracking could be substantiated from primary sources. Air waybills for the DHL services are accordingly not issued by Solenta; bookings run through the respective principal or the charter desk.

Sources

• Solenta Aviation – About Us · Identity, business model, operating approvals, safety standards
• Solenta Aviation – Maintenance Support · Maintenance organisation, approvals, locations, type ratings
• US Bureau of Industry and Security – Order relating to Solenta Aviation (Pty) Ltd. · Legal name, registered address, 2013 export control proceeding
• Business Wire – ACIA Aero Leasing and Solenta Aviation Further Expand Relationship with DHL Express · ATR 72-500F fleet, DHL West Africa network, management 2022