DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – The UAE-based airline flydubai has announced plans to expand its flight schedule to Italy, aiming to accommodate the rising international travel demand. According to official statements from Emirates News Agency, flydubai is enhancing its presence in Italy through additional flight frequencies at key commercial hubs. Beginning July 31, 2026, the airline will operate double daily services between Dubai and Milan-Bergamo, while maintaining daily round-trip flights to Naples to strengthen its market share.
This new schedule broadens the airline’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, running through the end of August. Furthermore, flydubai has outlined operational adjustments driven by scheduled infrastructure work in Southern Italy. Due to planned maintenance at Dubai International Airport, the airline will temporarily reroute its daily service from Dubai International Airport to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi and Cilento Airport from November 1 to November 30, 2026. Regular flights to Naples are expected to resume on December 1, 2026, with passengers already booked automatically transferred to the Salerno route during the transition period.
Codeshare Agreement Enhances Passenger Connectivity via Dubai
The expanded routes to Milan-Bergamo and Naples operate under the existing codeshare partnership between flydubai and the international flag carrier Emirates. This cooperation allows travelers to access integrated itineraries, purchase unified tickets, benefit from synchronized flight schedules, and enjoy through-checked baggage across both airline networks. Leveraging Dubai as a hub, passengers connecting from Italian airports gain streamlined access to major long-haul destinations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Kenya, Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
The capacity increase aligns with broader trends in commercial aviation within the Middle East and Europe, where international passenger volumes continue to grow steadily in the post-pandemic era. The additional frequencies support rising bilateral trade, investment, and leisure tourism flows between the United Arab Emirates and Italy. The double daily flights to Milan-Bergamo serve business travelers heading to Italy’s leading financial and industrial hub, while daily flights to Southern Italy cater to the seasonal surge in international tourists visiting cultural landmarks along the Amalfi Coast.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, commented on the network expansion, emphasizing that Naples and Milan have become vital gateways in the airline’s European route network. He highlighted that maintaining consistent regional access remains a priority, alongside a long-term commitment to improving connectivity in underserved markets. Al Ghaith pointed out that market data shows flydubai is strengthening its operations in Italy through strategic increases in flight frequency to accommodate the rising passenger flows between the UAE and Italy, especially with travel volumes set to intensify during the upcoming winter season.
Major Airports Provide Direct Access for Travelers
Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce, stressed that expanding direct flights to Naples and Milan-Bergamo highlights the significance of the Italian market for the airline. Efendi explained that non-stop routes enable international travelers to utilize the combined reach of flydubai and Emirates, facilitating seamless connections to popular global destinations via Dubai. The airline’s operational teams and fleet allocations are prepared to handle the increased daily flights, ensuring high reliability for both passenger and cargo services.
These operational enhancements in Italy form part of flydubai’s ongoing fleet expansion and international route development strategy. As the airline continues to introduce modern narrow-body aircraft, its commercial planners are targeting further frequency increases across high-demand European routes. The expanded Italian schedule underscores Dubai’s role as a global aviation hub, enabling efficient passenger and freight movements between Europe and key destinations across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa.