flydubai Opens Gateway to Nepal’s Adventure Capital with Pokhara Route Launch
The airline has established its first scheduled international service to Pokhara International Airport, reinforcing Dubai's position as a premier aviation hub for South Asian connectivity.
flydubai has inaugurated daily non-stop flights connecting Dubai International Airport with Pokhara International Airport, marking a significant milestone as the first airline to establish scheduled service on this route. The launch strengthens direct air connectivity between the Emirates and Western Nepal, opening new possibilities for travellers seeking access to the country’s celebrated adventure tourism landscape.
Pokhara represents flydubai’s second operational destination within Nepal, complementing its existing four daily services to Kathmandu. As the principal gateway to the Annapurna Mountain range, the city has long attracted discerning travellers pursuing trekking expeditions and mountain exploration. The expansion brings flydubai’s combined weekly Nepal operations to 35 flights, substantially broadening passenger and cargo capacity across the market.
The airline’s longstanding commitment to the region reflects two decades of growth. Since commencing Kathmandu operations in 2009, flydubai has transported more than 4.5 million passengers on the route, with approximately 65 per cent of traffic utilising Dubai as a connecting hub through the flydubai and Emirates network.
Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, noted that the Pokhara service consolidates the airline’s strategic objective of providing accessible, direct connectivity between the UAE and Nepal. “With the launch of our daily flights to Pokhara, we are further strengthening that commitment by offering travellers a seamless, non-stop connection to the country’s tourism capital, and an entry point to one of South Asia’s most popular leisure and adventure destinations.”
The inaugural flight, which departed Terminal 3 on 23 September, received ceremonial recognition upon arrival at Pokhara through a traditional water cannon salute. The new service operates under flydubai’s established codeshare partnership with Emirates, facilitating seamless onward connections to more than 140 destinations spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas, with the convenience of single-ticket booking and through-checked baggage.
The expansion underscores flydubai’s commanding position within South Asian aviation. The airline now operates to 20 destinations across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with over 380 weekly flights to the region—the widest network between Dubai and South Asia. Key connecting markets include Bucharest, Dammam, Jeddah, Muscat and Riyadh from the flydubai network, whilst Larnaca, Lisbon, London, New York and Vienna remain prominent feeder markets via the Emirates network.
Source: WAM