KASKI:- Fly Dubai is set to start direct flights on the Pokhara-Dubai route. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has granted permission to Fly Dubai to operate daily flights on the Dubai-Pokhara-Dubai route from September 23, said Jagannath Niraula, General Manager of Pokhara International Airport.
“Fly Dubai’s Pokhara-Dubai flight schedule has been approved on Monday,” he said. “The Pokhara-Dubai daily flight service will start from September 23.”
A Fly Dubai team had inspected the Pokhara International Airport for high-level security, safety and operational requirements a few days ago. Fly Dubai has received the flight permit shortly after the government stated in its policy and program for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 that it would take diplomatic initiatives to attract international airline providers to Pokhara International Airport.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said that with Fly Dubai receiving flight permission, significant progress has been made towards operating regular international flights from Pokhara International Airport, which is Nepal’s third international air gateway.
“This is not just a matter of adding an air service, it is also a historic opportunity to promote Pokhara’s international identity, tourism promotion, expansion of economic activities, and decentralization of Kathmandu-centered air traffic,” he said. “Once direct air connectivity with Dubai is established, Pokhara will have access to more than 300 cities including the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.”
So far, there have been no regular international flights from Pokhara, except for charter flights to some neighboring countries. The Pokhara International Airport, built with a loan of nearly Rs 22 billion, is limited to domestic flights only. The airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023.
Although private airline Himalaya Airlines started regular commercial flights from Pokhara to Lhasa for the first time in March 2025, it did not last long. Himalaya Airlines had stopped the Pokhara-Lhasa flight service from March 23.
Although the 50-year-old plan to build an international airport in Pokhara has been realized, the airport has not yet been fully operational. Tourism entrepreneurs, who are hoping to connect Pokhara, which is also the tourist capital, to the international air network and attract a large number of foreign tourists, are also waiting for regular international flights from the airport. Tourism entrepreneurs say that after the construction of this airport, an investment worth about Rs. 100 billion has been added to Pokhara’s tourism.
Businessmen have been demanding facilitation in the necessary policies and regulations for operating international flights from Pokhara, and permission for national-level airlines to fly to major cities in India and China. Domestic airline companies have been operating domestic flights from Pokhara International Airport to destinations including the federal capital Kathmandu, Bharatpur, and Bhairahawa.