Ticket Booking Opens As Pokhara-Dubai Regular International Flights Set To Begin From September 23

Ticket booking has opened for regular international commercial flights between Pokhara and Dubai, with the service scheduled to begin on September 23, 2026. The development is being seen as a major milestone for Pokhara International Airport, which was inaugurated on January 1, 2023, but had not been able to operate regular international commercial flights for a long period after opening.  The airport was officially inaugurated by then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Pokhara on January 1, 2023.

According to recent reports, Flydubai has received approval to operate daily Dubai-Pokhara-Dubai flights from September 23. The flight schedule has already been approved and a technical team from Flydubai recently inspected the airport’s security, safety and operational readiness before approval was granted. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has granted permission to Flydubai to begin daily services on the route from September 23.

Since its opening, Pokhara International Airport had handled some charter and special international flights, including flights connected with China, Bhutan and India, but the lack of regular commercial international service had raised questions about the airport’s full use. Tourism stakeholders in Pokhara have described the Dubai service as an important step for the city, Gandaki Province and Nepal’s wider tourism and business sector.

Former Pokhara Tourism Council president Pom Narayan Shrestha said the airport is not only an infrastructure project but also the result of decades of dreams, pressure and struggle by the people of Pokhara. He said the start of regular flights to Dubai would help promote tourism, expand business, support foreign employment travel and improve international connectivity. The route is also expected to make onward travel easier for passengers flying from Pokhara to different parts of the world through Dubai.