DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Dubai-based airline flydubai announced a significant expansion of its European route network on Wednesday. The carrier will increase flight frequencies to key Italian destinations to accommodate rising international travel. Official releases from Emirates News Agency confirmed that flydubai is enhancing its operations in Italy by adding more flights to Milan-Bergamo and Naples. This move broadens direct transportation links 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. At the same time, it has raised its service to Naples International Airport to a daily frequency, reinforcing its presence across Italy’s major urban centers.
This expanded timetable increases flydubai’s overall footprint in Italy. It already offers three weekly flights to Catania Airport in Sicily and operates seasonal summer services to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Sardinia twice a week through August. Besides increasing flight frequencies, the airline also announced operational adjustments due to scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. Planned maintenance at Naples International Airport will lead flydubai to reroute its daily flights from Dubai International Airport to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi and Cilento Airport from November 1 to November 30, 2026. Flights to Naples will resume on December 1, 2026. Passengers with existing bookings will be automatically transferred to the Salerno route during this period.
Enhanced Airline Presence Promotes Trade and Tourism between the Regions
The new routes to Milan-Bergamo and Naples are part of the ongoing codeshare partnership between flydubai and Emirates, the international flag carrier. This cooperation provides travelers with integrated itineraries, unified ticketing options, synchronized flight schedules, and through-checked baggage handling across both airlines. Leveraging the Dubai hub, passengers connecting from Italian airports gain access to long-haul destinations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. These include direct links to Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
The capacity expansion aligns with broader trends in commercial aviation across the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger traffic has steadily grown since the pandemic. Increased flight frequencies support growing bilateral trade, investment, and tourism exchanges between the UAE and Italy. The twice-daily flights to Milan-Bergamo increase seating capacity for business travelers heading to Italy’s main financial and industrial hub. Daily flights to Southern Italy also cater to rising seasonal demand from tourists visiting historic sites along the Amalfi Coast.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, commented on the expansion, saying that Naples and Milan have become vital gateways within the airline’s European network. He emphasized that ensuring consistent regional access for travelers remains a priority. Al Ghaith also noted the airline’s commitment to connecting underserved markets and highlighted that market data shows flydubai’s strategic frequency increases are aimed at handling the rising passenger flows between the UAE and Italy, especially as travel demand accelerates for the winter season.
Increase in Flight Frequencies Bolsters Capacity to Milan and Naples
Addressing the operational side, Jeyhun Efendi, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, stressed that expanding direct flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo underscores the importance of the Italian market for the airline. Efendi pointed out that non-stop connections allow passengers to utilize the combined reach of flydubai and Emirates to access popular global destinations seamlessly through Dubai. The airline’s commercial teams confirmed that fleet planning and operational readiness are aligned to support the increased daily flights, ensuring reliable services for both passenger and cargo operations.
These operational enhancements are part of flydubai’s broader fleet expansion and international network growth strategy. As the airline continues to acquire modern narrow-body aircraft, it aims to further increase frequencies on high-demand European routes. The new Italian schedules reinforce Dubai’s role as a global aviation hub, facilitating smooth passenger and freight movements between European origins and expanding destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.