DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced a significant expansion of its European route offerings on Wednesday, with a boost in service frequency to key Italian cities to accommodate rising international travel. The airline’s official statements published by Emirates News Agency confirmed that flydubai is strengthening its operations in Italy by adding more flights to Milan-Bergamo and Naples, thereby enhancing direct connections between the United Arab Emirates and Southern Europe. Starting July 31, 2026, the airline will operate twice-daily flights between Dubai International Airport and Milan-Bergamo Airport. Additionally, its service to Naples International Airport has been increased to a daily frequency, supporting its presence across major Italian urban centers.
This expanded schedule broadens flydubai’s overall footprint in Italy, which also includes three weekly flights to Catania Airport in Sicily and twice-weekly seasonal summer flights to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Sardinia, running through the end of August. The airline also highlighted operational changes due to scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. During maintenance at Naples International Airport, flydubai will temporarily reroute its daily service from Dubai International Airport to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi and Cilento Airport from November 1 to November 30, 2026. Normal flights to Naples will resume on December 1, 2026, with current bookings automatically transferred to the Salerno route during this period.
Boost in Flight Operations Bolsters Bilateral Trade and Tourism
The new routes to Milan-Bergamo and Naples are operated under the existing codeshare agreement between flydubai and Emirates, the international flag carrier. This partnership allows travelers to access comprehensive travel itineraries, purchase unified tickets, enjoy synchronized flight schedules, and benefit from through-checked baggage handling across both airline networks. Utilizing Dubai’s central hub, passengers connecting from Italian airports experience easier access to long-haul destinations throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including direct flights to Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
This capacity expansion aligns with broader trends in commercial aviation across the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger volumes are steadily increasing post-pandemic. The rise in flight frequency supports the growth of bilateral trade, investment, and leisure tourism between the UAE and Italy. The additional double-daily flights to Milan-Bergamo increase seat availability for business travelers heading to Italy’s key financial and industrial hub, while daily flights to Southern Italy cater to the growing seasonal demand of international tourists visiting the Amalfi Coast’s historic sites.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, commented on the expansion, emphasizing that Naples and Milan have become vital gateways within the airline’s European network. He stressed that maintaining consistent regional access for travelers is a priority, alongside a long-term goal of improving connectivity to underserved markets. Al Ghaith also noted that the market data shows that flydubai is strengthening its operations in Italy with targeted frequency increases to accommodate the rising passenger flows between the UAE and Italy, especially as travel demand accelerates during the upcoming winter season.
Flight Frequency Increase Enhances Capacity to Milan and Naples
Addressing the operational aspect, Jeyhun Efendi, the Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, highlighted that augmenting direct flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo underscores the strategic importance of the Italian market. Efendi explained that non-stop flights facilitate seamless travel for international passengers, enabling them to leverage the combined networks of flydubai and Emirates to reach global destinations easily through Dubai. The airline’s commercial leaders confirmed that their fleet deployment and operational teams are ready to handle the increased daily flight schedule, ensuring reliable service for both passenger and cargo operations.
These enhancements in Italy reflect flydubai’s ongoing fleet expansion and its broader international network development efforts. As the airline continues receiving new modern narrow-body aircraft, its planning teams are aiming to further increase frequencies on high-demand European routes. The expanded Italian flight schedule solidifies Dubai’s role as a major global aviation hub, promoting smooth passenger and freight movements between European origins and expanding destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.