DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Dubai-based airline flydubai announced a significant upgrade to its European flight operations on Wednesday, aimed at accommodating rising international travel demand. The airline has increased service frequencies to major Italian cities, including Milan-Bergamo and Naples, to strengthen direct links between the United Arab Emirates and Southern Europe. According to official statements from Emirates News Agency, flydubai will operate double-daily flights between Dubai International Airport and Milan-Bergamo Airport starting July 31, 2026. At the same time, the airline has boosted its service to Naples International Airport to a daily frequency, expanding its presence in Italy’s key urban hubs.
This expansion broadens flydubai’s overall footprint in Italy, which already includes three weekly flights to Catania Airport in Sicily and twice-weekly seasonal summer flights to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Sardinia, running until the end of August. The airline also outlined operational adjustments due to scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. Specifically, between November 1 and November 30, 2026, flydubai will temporarily reroute its daily service from Dubai International Airport to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi and Cilento Airport while Naples undergoes maintenance. Regular flights to Naples are expected to resume on December 1, 2026, with existing bookings automatically transferred to the Salerno route during this period.
Strengthening Bilateral Trade and Tourism through New Flight Routes
The expanded routes to Milan-Bergamo and Naples continue to operate under the established codeshare agreement between flydubai and Emirates, the international flag carrier. This partnership enables passengers to access integrated travel options, including unified ticketing, synchronized flight schedules, and through-checked baggage across both airlines. By leveraging the combined network at Dubai’s hub, travelers connecting from Italian airports benefit from streamlined access to long-haul destinations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including direct flights to Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
This capacity increase aligns with broader trends in commercial aviation across the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger numbers have steadily rebounded post-pandemic. The additional flights support growing bilateral trade, investment, and tourism exchanges between the UAE and Italy. The new double-daily services to Milan-Bergamo offer greater capacity for business travelers heading to Italy’s primary financial and industrial hub, while the daily flights to Southern Italy meet the rising seasonal demand from international tourists visiting historic sites along the Amalfi Coast.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, commented on the expansion, emphasizing that Naples and Milan have become crucial gateways in the airline’s European route network. He stressed that ensuring consistent regional access remains a priority, along with a long-term commitment to improving connectivity in underserved markets. Al Ghaith added that market data confirms flydubai’s strategy to strengthen operations in Italy with increased flight frequencies, particularly as passenger numbers rise heading into the winter season.
Increased Flight Frequencies Boost Capacity to Milan and Naples
Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce, highlighted that the enhanced direct flight options to Naples and Milan-Bergamo underscore the airline’s strategic focus on the Italian market. He explained that offering non-stop routes allows international travelers to utilize the combined reach of flydubai and Emirates for seamless access to key global destinations through Dubai. The airline’s commercial teams are equipped to manage the increased daily flight operations, ensuring high reliability for both passenger and cargo services across the network.
These operational improvements in Italy are part of flydubai’s ongoing fleet expansion and international route development plans. As the airline continues to introduce modern narrow-body aircraft, future frequency increases are targeted at high-demand European routes. The expanded Italian schedule further cements Dubai’s position as a global transit hub, facilitating smooth passenger and freight movement between Europe and the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.