flydubai becomes first airline to launch scheduled international flights to Pokhara
Dubai airline raises Nepal frequencies to 35 flights each week
DUBAI – flydubai has launched daily non-stop flights between Dubai International (DXB) and Pokhara International Airport (PHH), creating the first direct air link between Dubai and Western Nepal.
The new service connects travellers directly with Pokhara, one of Nepal’s key tourism destinations and a gateway to the Annapurna Mountain range.
The inaugural flight departed Dubai on 23 September and marks a significant expansion of the airline’s operations in Nepal.
New gateway
Pokhara is flydubai’s second destination in Nepal after Kathmandu, giving travellers a direct connection to the country’s adventure tourism capital. The route also establishes Pokhara as Nepal’s third airport with scheduled international connectivity.
The daily service increases flydubai’s total weekly flights to Nepal to 35. The airline already operates four daily flights to Kathmandu, while the new route adds further passenger and cargo capacity between the UAE and Nepal.
flydubai has carried more than 4.5 million passengers to and from Kathmandu since launching operations there in 2009. Around 65% of that traffic connects onwards to destinations across the flydubai and Emirates networks through Dubai.
The airline said its expansion into Pokhara supports its wider efforts to improve connectivity to underserved markets while strengthening Dubai’s role as an international hub for travel, trade and tourism.
With the addition of Pokhara, flydubai now serves 20 destinations across South Asia, including markets in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Its network offers more than 380 weekly flights to the region.
Emirates network
The Pokhara service operates under flydubai’s codeshare partnership with Emirates, allowing passengers travelling to and from the city to connect through Dubai to more than 140 destinations across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Passengers can book their journey on a single ticket and benefit from through-checked baggage when connecting between the two airlines. Popular onward destinations from Nepal on the flydubai network include Bucharest, Dammam, Jeddah, Muscat and Riyadh.
Larnaca, Lisbon, London, New York and Vienna are among the leading feeder markets served through the Emirates network, giving travellers from Western Nepal access to a wider range of international destinations through Dubai.
Flight details
The inaugural service, operated from Terminal 3 at Dubai International, was welcomed at Pokhara with a ceremonial water cannon salute.
Flights FZ1165 and FZ1166 operate daily between Dubai and Pokhara. FZ1165 departs DXB at 12:00 and arrives in Pokhara at 18:15, while the return FZ1166 leaves Pokhara at 19:15 and reaches Dubai at 22:00. All timings are local.
Return Business Class fares from Dubai start from Dh5,400, while Economy Class fares start from Dh1,950. From Pokhara, return Business Class fares start from NPR135,000 and Economy Class fares from NPR80,500.
The route provides a direct alternative to journeys involving multiple transfers or extended road travel for passengers heading to Western Nepal.
Tickets are available through flydubai’s website and official app, its Contact Centre, flydubai travel shops and authorised travel partners.