Flydubai Launches First Scheduled International Flights to Pokhara

Flydubai began daily non-stop flights between Dubai International Airport and Pokhara International Airport on 23 September, becoming the first airline to launch scheduled international service to the Nepali city, according to a statement from the carrier.

A New Gateway to the Annapurna Range

Flights FZ1165 and FZ1166 operate daily, with the outbound service departing Dubai at 12:00 and arriving in Pokhara at 18:15 local time, and the return flight departing Pokhara at 19:15. Pokhara is Nepal’s principal gateway to the Annapurna mountain range and a hub for adventure tourism, and the new route becomes flydubai’s second destination in the country alongside Kathmandu, bringing its total weekly flights to Nepal to 35.

Codeshare Access to a Wider Network

The service operates under flydubai’s codeshare partnership with Emirates, the airline said, giving passengers travelling to and from Pokhara connections to more than 140 destinations across Asia, Europe and the Americas via Dubai. The route is also expected to expand cargo capacity between the two countries, supporting trade in goods such as handicrafts and agricultural produce alongside passenger traffic.

Bypassing Kathmandu’s Congestion

Pokhara International Airport itself opened to commercial traffic only in 2023, giving western Nepal its own modern gateway after decades of relying on a smaller domestic airstrip. Industry observers have noted that a direct international route to Pokhara allows visitors bound for the Annapurna region to bypass Kathmandu’s often-congested Tribhuvan International Airport entirely, cutting a leg of travel that previously required a separate domestic flight or lengthy road journey.

Why It Matters

Direct international access has long been a bottleneck for western Nepal’s tourism industry, which has relied on connections through Kathmandu’s congested main airport. A dedicated international link to Pokhara gives trekkers, climbers and other visitors a faster route into the region and offers Nepali tourism operators outside the capital a more direct channel to Gulf and onward international markets, potentially spreading tourism revenue more evenly across the country.