Flydubai launches daily Dubai flights from Pokhara as Prithvi Highway collapse grounds tourist buses
Pokhara International Airport marked a historic turning point this week when Flydubai's aircraft landed on Wednesday evening for the start of daily Dubai service, welcomed by a water salute nearly four years after the airport's inauguration. The milestone arrived against the backdrop of a Prithvi Highway collapse that has left Pokhara's tourist bus operators idle and pushed travellers onto flights, while Bhutan's national cricket team brought international sporting activity to the city.
🏢 Flydubai inaugurates daily Dubai-Pokhara service, connecting the city to 120 destinations
Pokhara International Airport received its first regular international flight on Wednesday evening when a Flydubai aircraft touched down at 6:15 pm, inaugurating a daily service on the Dubai-Pokhara-Dubai route. The aircraft was welcomed with a water salute, marking the occasion as a significant milestone in the airport's history. Flydubai will operate the daily service from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, and under a codeshare arrangement with Emirates, passengers will be able to connect from Pokhara to more than 120 destinations worldwide by transiting through Dubai. After landing, the aircraft departed for Dubai with Pokhara passengers at 7:15 pm on the same evening. Airport General Manager Jagannath Niroula confirmed that all technical and physical infrastructure requirements for sustained international operations have been completed, covering immigration, customs, and security. He described the moment as one the airport had been eagerly anticipating. Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya welcomed the development as connecting Pokhara to the global air network. The airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023, but earlier attempts at regular international services had failed to sustain, with carriers operating only charter flights before withdrawing. The Flydubai daily service represents the first time in the airport's history that it has achieved consistent scheduled international operations. [2]
🏢 Four years on, Pokhara airport's international promise remains only half fulfilled
Nearly four years after its January 2023 inauguration, Pokhara International Airport continues to present a divided image. By day, the main terminal building serves as a city landmark, but after sunset its two sides tell contrasting stories: the western section is illuminated and active with domestic passengers moving through arrival and departure halls, while the eastern section—designated from the outset for international passengers—sits dark, its doors locked and its lights switched off. Regular international flights failed to materialise following the airport's grand opening, leaving the facility largely dependent on domestic operations and falling well short of the international gateway role it was built to fulfil. The airport was constructed after decades of lobbying and civic pressure from Pokhara's residents and business community, who had expected direct international connectivity to transform the region's tourism economy. Several airlines attempted charter operations in the years after the opening but could not sustain them commercially. An analysis published by Onlinekhabar just as the Flydubai service was beginning noted that, while the Dubai launch offered genuine hope, one airline's daily connection remains far short of the scale originally envisioned. Lingering questions about route sustainability, passenger volumes, and the airport's long-term commercial viability mean that the contrast between the lit western hall and the dark eastern section has not yet been fully resolved. [5]
🏢 Prithvi Highway collapse leaves tour bus operators stranded as air traffic climbs
A collapse along the Prithvi Highway—the road corridor connecting Pokhara to Kathmandu—has disrupted overland transport services and left tourist bus operators without their primary route, forcing them to keep vehicles idle during what is typically a busy visitor season. The Kathmandu Post reported that while ground transport has been immobilised by the highway's failure, air passenger numbers on routes serving Pokhara have increased significantly, with travellers shifting to flights to continue journeys that they would previously have made by road. The Prithvi Highway is the central artery for both tourism and trade in the Gandaki region, and its disruption has ripple effects on the bus industry, hotel sector, and the wider supply chain that moves goods between the capital and Nepal's second city. The simultaneous growth in air traffic illustrates how improved airport connectivity—including the newly launched Flydubai international service—is cushioning Pokhara's tourism economy against ground transport failures. For bus operators already adapting to changing traveller preferences, the highway collapse represented an acute, immediate blow. The episode also underlines the infrastructural vulnerability that continues to affect Pokhara's accessibility, reinforcing the city's case for sustained investment in air transport as a complement to, and sometimes replacement for, its road connections. [7]
🎉 Bhutan cricket team arrives in Pokhara for four ICC T20 qualifier practice matches
Bhutan's national cricket team has arrived in Pokhara to play four practice matches in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup qualifiers, according to Ekantipur. The Gandaki Provincial Cricket Association arranged the visit and said that hosting Bhutan's preparation camp represents a valuable opportunity for the city to develop its cricket infrastructure and demonstrate its readiness for international-standard competitions. Bhutan, working to qualify for the global T20 circuit, chose Pokhara as a training base in conditions that approximate those expected at the qualifier tournament. The Gandaki Provincial Cricket Association noted that sustained international cricket activity in Pokhara would help create the environment and facilities needed to host higher-level competitions in the city over time. For Pokhara, the visit adds another layer of sporting activity to what has been an eventful week, coming alongside the Right to Protein Pokhara Run and the airport's international flight launch. The city has been actively pursuing a broader sporting identity that complements its established reputation for adventure tourism, and hosting national cricket teams for multi-match practice series is part of that effort. Ekantipur reported the matches under the Nepali calendar date of Ashwin 6, 2083. [4]
🎉 Binod Rokaya and Nisha Sarki win fifth Right to Protein Pokhara Run half-marathon
Binod Rokaya and Nisha Sarki claimed the men's and women's titles respectively at the fifth edition of the Right to Protein Pokhara Run, held over the city's lakeside course on Saturday. Rokaya completed the 21-kilometre men's half-marathon in 1 hour 7 minutes and 20 seconds. Sushil Kumar Shahi was second in 1:08:05 and the third-placed finisher clocked 1:08:14. Narendra Singh Rawal and Sanjay Shrestha finished fourth and fifth in 1:08:50 and 1:09:09, making the top five men's results separated by under two minutes. In the women's race, Sarki crossed the line in 1:21:47. Nirmala KC was second in 1:24:00, Ashma BK third in 1:27:50, with Rayalaxmi Rawal and Dipa Basnet finishing fourth and fifth. In the men's 10-kilometre category, Rupesh Karki took the title. The Right to Protein Pokhara Run has been held annually, and its fifth edition drew competitive runners from across Nepal who tested themselves over one of the country's most scenically distinctive road race venues. The event carries a public health dimension in its name, promoting nutrition awareness alongside athletic competition, and its growing runner fields reflect increasing engagement with distance running culture in Pokhara and the broader Gandaki region. [6]
Sources: [2] Ratopati · [5] Onlinekhabar English · [7] The Kathmandu Post · [4] Ekantipur · [6] The Tourism Times