DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Dubai-based airline flydubai revealed on Wednesday that it is significantly expanding its European route network, aiming to accommodate increasing international travel. As announced by Emirates News Agency, flydubai is intensifying services to key Italian airports, specifically Milan-Bergamo and Naples, to strengthen direct connections between the United Arab Emirates and Southern Europe. Beginning July 31, 2026, the airline will operate twice daily between Dubai International Airport and Milan-Bergamo Airport, while increasing its service to Naples International Airport to a daily schedule.
This enhancement broadens flydubai’s operational 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 through August’s end. Along with increasing flight frequencies, the airline has outlined operational adjustments driven by scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. Due to planned maintenance at Dubai International Airport, flydubai will temporarily reroute its daily service from Dubai 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 Expands Service Frequencies to Major Italian Cities
The extended schedules to Milan-Bergamo and Naples operate under the established codeshare partnership between flydubai and Emirates, an international flag carrier. This cooperation provides travelers with integrated travel plans, unified ticketing, synchronized schedules, and through-checked baggage handling across both airlines. Connecting via Dubai’s central hub, passengers traveling from Italian airports benefit from seamless 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 boost aligns with broader trends in commercial aviation within the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger numbers have steadily increased post-pandemic. The additional flights support growing bilateral trade, investment, and tourism exchanges between the UAE and Italy. The double-daily flights to Milan-Bergamo enhance capacity for business travelers heading to Italy’s main financial and industrial center, while daily flights to Southern Italy cater to the rising seasonal influx of tourists exploring historic sites along the Amalfi Coast.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, commented on the expansion, emphasizing that Naples and Milan have become vital gateways in the airline’s European network. He underscored that maintaining consistent regional access for passengers remains a priority while reaffirming the airline’s commitment to improving connectivity with underserved markets. Al Ghaith also noted that market data shows flydubai is strengthening its presence in Italy through strategic increases in flight frequency to meet rising passenger numbers from the UAE to Italy, especially as winter travel volumes approach.
Salerno Route to Serve as Temporary Gateway During Maintenance Period
Further elaborating on operational plans, Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce, highlighted that expanding direct flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo underscores the importance of the Italian market. Efendi pointed out that nonstop services enable passengers to leverage both flydubai’s and Emirates’ networks for seamless access to global destinations through Dubai. The airline’s management has confirmed that fleet planning and operational teams are prepared to support the increased daily flights, ensuring reliable service for both passengers and cargo.
These operational upgrades in Italy are part of flydubai’s broader fleet expansion and international route development strategy. As the airline continues to introduce modern narrow-body aircraft, plans are in place to further increase frequencies on high-demand European routes. The expanded Italian flight schedule reinforces Dubai’s role as a global aviation hub, enabling efficient passenger and freight movement between Europe and expanding markets across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.