flydubai has announced the launch of a new daily service between Dubai and Pokhara, Nepal's second-largest city, becoming the first airline from the United Arab Emirates to operate direct flights to the destination.

The Dubai-based carrier said on Thursday that flights to Pokhara International Airport will commence on September 23, 2026, operating daily from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport as part of its codeshare partnership with Emirates.

The new route marks flydubai's second destination in Nepal after Kathmandu and represents a further expansion of the airline's presence in the South Asian country, where it has operated since 2009. According to the carrier, nearly four million passengers have travelled on its Nepal services over the past 17 years.

Commenting on the launch, flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith said Nepal has remained an important market for the airline since it began operations to Kathmandu.

"Introducing direct flights to Pokhara underscores our ongoing commitment to supporting free flows of trade and tourism between the UAE and Nepal," Al Ghaith said. He added that the new route would create additional opportunities for both business and leisure travellers while leveraging Dubai's role as a major international aviation hub.

Pokhara, located near the Annapurna mountain range, is widely regarded as Nepal's leading adventure tourism destination and serves as a gateway for trekking and eco-tourism activities. The airline said the direct connection would improve international access to western Nepal and complement existing services to Kathmandu.

Flydubai noted that its capacity to Nepal has increased more than twelvefold since it entered the market. During peak travel periods, the carrier operates up to five daily flights to Kathmandu, serving business travellers, tourists, and members of the Nepalese diaspora.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, said the airline expects strong demand for the new route from passengers travelling from the UAE as well as from destinations across the Gulf region, the Middle East, and Europe.

"We are delighted to expand our footprint in Nepal with daily operations to Pokhara, offering our passengers more flexibility and choice across our network," Sreedharan said.

Under the flydubai-Emirates codeshare arrangement, passengers travelling on the new route will benefit from coordinated schedules, single-ticket bookings, through-checking of baggage, and access to the combined global networks of both carriers.

The introduction of direct Dubai-Pokhara flights is expected to strengthen tourism and commercial links between the UAE and Nepal while providing travellers with a new gateway to one of the Himalayan nation's most popular destinations.

Source: PR