Flydubai has begun operating daily non-stop flights between Dubai International Airport and Pokhara International Airport, opening the first direct air link between Dubai and Western Nepal.

Pokhara becomes flydubai's second destination in Nepal after Kathmandu, and the airline is marketing it as the country's adventure tourism capital and gateway to the Annapurna Mountain range. For UAE residents keen on trekking or mountain scenery without a connecting flight through Kathmandu, the new route offers a direct option for the first time.

A growing Nepal network

The Pokhara service brings flydubai's total weekly flights to Nepal to 35. The airline already operates four daily flights to Kathmandu, a route it launched 17 years ago. Since 2009, flydubai says it has carried more than 4.5 million passengers to and from Kathmandu, with 65 percent of that traffic connecting onward through Dubai via the flydubai and Emirates network, a link made possible by the carrier's codeshare partnership with Emirates.

The inaugural Pokhara flight departed from Terminal 3 at DXB on 23 September and was met with a ceremonial water cannon salute on arrival, marking the start of the new service.

Part of a wider regional push

The Pokhara launch fits into flydubai's broader footprint across South Asia and neighbouring regions. The airline currently flies to 20 destinations across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, running more than 380 weekly flights across that network.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, said: "Nepal has long been an integral part of flydubai's network. Since launching operations to Kathmandu 17 years ago, our objective has been to offer a direct and accessible link 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."

For Dubai-based travellers and the wider UAE market, the new Pokhara route adds another non-stop leisure option to flydubai's expanding South Asia offering, alongside its established Kathmandu service.

Reported by Khaleej Times.