DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Dubai-based airline flydubai has announced a significant expansion of its flight offerings within Europe on Wednesday, aiming to meet increasing international travel demand by boosting service frequencies to major Italian destinations. Official information from Emirates News Agency confirmed that flydubai is strengthening its presence 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 double-daily flights between Dubai International Airport and Milan-Bergamo Airport. Meanwhile, it has also increased its service to Naples International Airport to a daily schedule, reinforcing its market footprint across Italy’s key cities.
This expanded timetable broadens the airline’s operational reach in Italy, which already includes three weekly flights to Catania Airport in Sicily and twice-weekly seasonal summer services to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Sardinia, running through August’s end. Alongside the increased flight frequencies, flydubai has outlined operational adjustments caused by scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. Due to planned maintenance at Naples International Airport, the airline will temporarily reroute its daily Dubai International Airport service 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 passengers with existing bookings automatically transferred to the Salerno route during this period.
Trade and Tourism Growth Supported by Expanded Flight Operations
The extended routes to Milan-Bergamo and Naples operate under the established codeshare agreement between flydubai and Emirates, the international flag carrier. This partnership offers passengers integrated travel plans, single-ticket options, synchronized schedules, and through-checked baggage handling across both networks. Leveraging the Dubai hub for connectivity, travelers connecting from Italian airports gain easier access to long-haul destinations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including direct flights to Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
The capacity expansion aligns with wider trends in commercial aviation across the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger numbers continue to rise steadily after the pandemic. These increased flight frequencies support the growth of bilateral trade, investment, and leisure tourism between the UAE and Italy. The addition of double daily flights to Milan-Bergamo boosts seat capacity for business travelers heading to Italy’s main financial and industrial hub, while daily flights to Southern Italy cater to rising seasonal tourism demand, especially along the scenic Amalfi Coast’s cultural sites.
Commenting on the expansion, flydubai’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith emphasized that Naples and Milan have become key gateways in the airline’s European network. He stressed that the focus remains on maintaining reliable regional access for travelers while fulfilling a long-term commitment to connect underserved markets. Al Ghaith noted that recent market data shows flydubai’s ongoing efforts to strengthen operations in Italy through strategic frequency increases to handle the rising passenger flow between the UAE and Italy, especially as travel demand accelerates heading into the winter season.
Enhanced Flight Frequencies Bolster Capacity to Milan and Naples
Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce, highlighted that increasing non-stop flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo underlines the importance of the Italian market for the airline’s strategy. Efendi explained that providing direct, nonstop connections enables travelers to benefit from the combined reach of flydubai and Emirates, facilitating seamless access to global destinations via Dubai. The airline’s commercial team confirmed that fleet deployment and operational teams are well-prepared to manage the increased daily flight schedule, ensuring reliable service for both passengers and cargo.
These operational upgrades in Italy reflect flydubai’s broader fleet expansion and network development plan. As the airline continues to add modern narrow-body aircraft to its fleet, plans are underway for further frequency increases on high-demand European routes. The expanded Italian schedule reinforces Dubai’s position as a major international aviation hub, enabling smooth passenger and freight movement between Europe and expanding destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.