DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Dubai-based airline flydubai announced a significant growth in its European route offerings on Wednesday, aiming to meet increasing international travel demand by adding more flights to key Italian destinations. According to the Emirates News Agency, the airline enhances its presence in Italy with increased frequencies to Milan-Bergamo and Naples, strengthening direct links between the United Arab Emirates and Southern Europe. Starting July 31, 2026, flydubai will operate a twice-daily service between Dubai International Airport and Milan-Bergamo Airport, while also raising its flights to Naples International Airport to a daily schedule.
This expansion broadens flydubai’s overall Italian route network, which currently includes three weekly flights to Catania Airport in Sicily and seasonal summer services to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Sardinia, operating through August. The airline also detailed operational adjustments due to scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. As part of planned maintenance at Dubai International Airport, flydubai will temporarily reroute its daily service to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi and Cilento Airport from November 1 to November 30, 2026. Flights to Naples will resume on December 1, 2026, with passengers holding existing bookings automatically transferred to the Salerno route during this period.
Flydubai Enhances Service Levels to Major Italian Cities
The new flights to Milan-Bergamo and Naples continue to operate under the existing codeshare agreement between flydubai and Emirates, the international flag carrier. This cooperation offers travelers integrated travel plans, single-ticket options, synchronized schedules, and through-checked baggage across both airlines. Using Dubai as a central hub, passengers connecting from Italian airports benefit from streamlined access to long-haul destinations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including direct flights to Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
The capacity increase aligns with broader trends in the aviation industry within the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger numbers are steadily rising post-pandemic. These additional frequencies support growing bilateral trade, investments, and tourism flows between the United Arab Emirates and Italy. The introduction of twice-daily flights to Milan-Bergamo offers more seats for business travelers heading to Italy’s primary financial and industrial hub, while daily flights to Southern Italy accommodate the increasing seasonal demand from international tourists visiting historic sites along the Amalfi Coast.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, commented on the network expansion, emphasizing that Naples and Milan are now critical gateway points in the airline’s European routes. He highlighted that the focus remains on providing reliable regional access while reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to improving connectivity to underserved markets. Al Ghaith also pointed out that key market indicators show that flydubai is strengthening its Italian operations with strategic increases in flight frequencies to meet the rising passenger demand between Italy and the UAE, especially as travel volumes ramp up ahead of the winter season.
Salerno Route as a Temporary Solution During Airport Maintenance
Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce, underscored the strategic significance of boosting nonstop flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo. Efendi explained that non-stop connections enable travelers to leverage both flydubai and Emirates’ combined reach for seamless access to major global destinations via Dubai. The airline’s commercial leadership assured that their fleet and operational teams are prepared to handle the increased daily flight operations, maintaining high standards of reliability across passenger and cargo services.
The enhancements in Italy are part of flydubai’s broader strategy of fleet expansion and international route development. As the airline continues to add modern narrow-body aircraft to its fleet, plans are underway to further increase frequencies on high-demand European routes. These expanded Italian services reinforce Dubai’s role as a global aviation hub, facilitating smooth passenger and freight flows between European origins and destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.