Gandaki. Tourism entrepreneurs have shown interest and initiation to make the Pokhara-Dubai direct flight sustainable from September 23.

The UAE ambassador to Nepal, Abdullah Saeed Mubarak Jarwan Al Shamsi, held a meeting on the issue of regular flights between Pokhara and Dubai.

During the meeting, Pom Narayan Shrestha, former chairman of Pokhara Tourism Council, said that they discussed the issue of continuity and sustainability of Pokhara-Dubai flight service. “Our main concern was to make the Pokhara-Dubai flight effective and sustainable,” he said, adding, “We discussed about taking necessary initiatives and cooperation from all sides for this.” ”

Former NTB board member Basudev Tripathi, Hotel Association Pokhara president Laxman Subedi, Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Gokarna Karki and others were present on the occasion.

Some time ago, Fly Dubai’s Nepal representative and Pokhara’s tourism entrepreneurs also held discussions on the same issue in Pokhara. On the occasion, support from locals and all stakeholders was emphasized to stabilize the Pokhara-Dubai flight.

With this new flight service the people of Gandaki Province and its surrounding areas will be able to travel directly to more than 250 destinations in the world including London, New York and Tokyo.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had granted permission to Flydubai for daily flights to Dubai-Pokhara-Dubai. In the meantime, Flydubai has already made public the flight training. Initially, Flydubai had announced that it would operate a one-day flight for one month, but the bookings are open till March 26, 2027.

Flydubai got the permission to operate flights shortly after the government announced to take diplomatic initiatives to attract international airlines to Pokhara International Airport in the policy and program of the current fiscal year.

A direct flight to Dubai, the global air transit hub, would connect Pokhara to the international air network. Regular inter-country flights have not been operated from Pokhara International Airport even after three years of its operation.

Although Himalaya Airlines started its first regular flight from Pokhara-Lhasa in March 2025, the flight has been suspended due to lack of passengers. The Pokhara-Dubai flight is the second commercial flight to be operated from Pokhara International Airport. Earlier, charter flights were operated to various destinations in China, India and Bhutan.

Foreign tourists will be able to come directly to Pokhara for tourism tours including Pokhara, which is also the capital of Nepal, through the Pokhara-Dubai flight. This flight service is expected to be beneficial for the passengers and general public going to other countries including Arab countries for foreign diplomacy, study, excursion etc.

The flights to Dubai, one of the world’s busiest and important air transit hubs, will provide direct air access to Pokhara in the international arena. Pokhara International Airport is Nepal’s third international air gateway. There has been a growing demand for regular inter-country flights from Pokhara International Airport for tourism promotion and economic activities along with decentralization of air pressure centered in Kathmandu.