Pokhara: Flydubai inaugural flight lands, schools shut as rains intensify
After decades of anticipation, the first scheduled international flight arrived at Pokhara International Airport when a Flydubai Boeing 737 Max 8 touched down from Dubai on the evening of September 23, with a Nepali captain at the controls. The same week, Pokhara's mayor ordered all schools closed for two days after the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of flood and landslide risks from intensifying monsoon rainfall across Gandaki Province.
🏢 Flydubai's First Flight Brings Pokhara Its Long-Awaited International Link
Pokhara residents who had spent years waiting for the day they could board an international flight from their own city saw that wait end when a Flydubai Boeing aircraft landed at Pokhara International Airport from Dubai on Wednesday evening. The new daily service directly connects Nepal's tourism capital — a gateway to the Annapurna trekking circuit and a magnet for adventure travellers — to one of the world's busiest aviation hubs. The route had been anticipated for years, with the new Pokhara International Airport itself having been constructed at enormous cost partly in the expectation that direct international services would follow. The launch of the Flydubai service is therefore as much a vindication of that infrastructure investment as it is a practical benefit for the city's large Nepali diaspora in the Gulf, who will now be able to fly directly home without transiting Kathmandu. Tourism industry representatives in Pokhara welcomed the development but also flagged that the service's long-term sustainability will depend on consistent passenger loads — a question that previous attempts at international connectivity from the airport had failed to resolve. Observers noted that maintaining the route through off-season months would be the real test of whether this link endures. [1]
Boeing 737 Max 8 Opens New Chapter in Pokhara Airport's History
The arrival of the Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at Pokhara International Airport, carrying 166 passengers, formally inaugurated a new chapter in the airport's commercial history. The aircraft type is a modern narrow-body jet equipped for medium-haul international routes, well-suited to the Pokhara-Dubai sector. Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya was present at the airport to greet the Flydubai crew and the Nepali captain who commanded the inaugural flight, in a ceremony that marked both civic pride and the beginning of what officials hope will be a durable commercial connection. Ekantipur's coverage described the event as the start of regular international air connectivity from Pokhara, a milestone that has practical consequences for the travel options available to residents of Gandaki Province and the broader western Nepal region. Previously, travellers from Pokhara seeking international flights had to make a roughly four-hour journey to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, adding significant time and cost. The direct service removes that barrier and could encourage more international tourists to enter Nepal through Pokhara rather than funnelling all arrivals through the capital. [9]
🤝 Nepali Captain Commands Inaugural Flydubai Flight into Pokhara
A particular point of civic pride surrounding the inaugural Flydubai service into Pokhara was that the Boeing 737 Max 8 was commanded by Captain Sarbjeet Yadav, a Nepali pilot. The Nepali Times reported on this detail prominently, noting that Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya and Gandaki Province officials were on hand at the airport to personally welcome Yadav and the Flydubai crew upon arrival. The significance of a Nepali captain piloting the first international commercial service into Pokhara was not lost on the many communities in western Nepal whose sons and daughters work abroad in the Gulf aviation sector and in other industries. Nepal has a substantial and growing cohort of commercial pilots working for international carriers, and the image of one of them commanding this particular flight carried symbolic resonance for a country that has long sought greater recognition and professional opportunity for its nationals in high-skill sectors. The welcome ceremony at the airport reflected the breadth of official interest in the moment, drawing together city, provincial and community representatives to mark an occasion many described as historic for the region. [8]
Pokhara Closes Schools Two Days as Flood and Landslide Risk Rises
Pokhara Metropolitan City ordered all community and institutional schools within its boundaries to close for two days after the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology issued warnings about the elevated risk of floods and landslides due to excessive monsoon rainfall. Mayor Dhanraj Acharya communicated the decision through an official notice, stating that the two days of local leave would later be offset against future public holidays. The Mayor cited the deteriorating weather conditions and increasing disaster risk as the basis for the precautionary closure, which was consistent with Ministry of Education guidelines that allow local governments to suspend schooling in response to acute environmental hazards. The Ratopati report noted that the warning covered risks including both riverine flooding and slope instability, both of which are well-documented seasonal hazards in the hilly terrain surrounding Pokhara. Nepal's 2026 monsoon season has been notably intense in several provinces, and Gandaki Province, home to Pokhara, has seen repeated flood events in recent years that have underscored the importance of early protective decisions for the safety of students and school staff. [2]
Sources: [1] english.onlinekhabar.com · [9] Ekantipur · [8] Nepali Times · [2] Ratopati