flydubai has begun daily non-stop services between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Pokhara International Airport (PHH), creating the first direct air connection between Dubai and western Nepal.

Pokhara is flydubai’s second destination in Nepal after Kathmandu. The new service provides travellers with direct access to Pokhara, widely known as Nepal’s adventure tourism capital and a key gateway to the Annapurna Mountain range.

The addition of Pokhara takes flydubai’s total weekly flights to Nepal to 35. The schedule includes four daily flights to Kathmandu, while the new route also increases the airline’s passenger and cargo capacity.

flydubai has transported more than 4.5 million passengers to and from Kathmandu since launching the route in 2009. Around 65% of that traffic has connected through Dubai to destinations across the flydubai and Emirates networks.

The expansion into Pokhara is part of flydubai’s broader effort to improve links with underserved markets while strengthening Dubai’s role as an international centre for travel, trade and tourism.

With Pokhara now added to its network, flydubai serves 20 destinations across South Asia, covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The airline operates more than 380 weekly flights to the region.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, said Nepal has remained an important part of the airline’s network since services to Kathmandu began 17 years ago. He said the Pokhara operation would further strengthen direct connectivity between the UAE and Nepal while opening access to one of South Asia’s major leisure and adventure destinations.

The inaugural flight left Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 on 23 September and received a ceremonial water cannon salute after landing in Pokhara.

The new service operates through flydubai’s codeshare partnership with Emirates. Passengers travelling to and from Pokhara can connect through Dubai to more than 140 destinations across Asia, Europe and the Americas, with single-ticket booking and through-checked baggage.

Key destinations connected to Nepal through the flydubai network include Bucharest, Dammam, Jeddah, Muscat and Riyadh. On the Emirates network, Larnaca, Lisbon, London, New York and Vienna remain among the leading feeder markets.

Source: WAM (Emirates News Agency)

A powerful nor’easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the northeastern United States on Saturday, disrupting air travel and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity.

New York, Boston and Philadelphia were among the areas affected by the storm, which developed with strong northeasterly winds. Authorities warned residents in coastal and low-lying areas to prepare for flooding as the storm coincided with high tide.

The National Weather Service warned that the system could produce major coastal flooding along the Mid-Atlantic coast across several high-tide cycles over the weekend. It urged residents in vulnerable areas to prepare for significant flooding, including submerged roads and possible impacts on homes and businesses.

What is a nor’easter?

A nor’easter is a large-scale cyclone that forms over the western North Atlantic Ocean, typically along or near the US East Coast. While these storms can occur at any time of year, they are most common from autumn through early spring.

Nor’easters are generally associated with heavy rain or snow and powerful winds.

Thousands face power outages

About 95,000 customers across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were without electricity as of 3 p.m. Saturday, according to PowerOutage.com.

Hundreds of flights cancelled

The storm also caused widespread disruption at US airports. Boston Logan International Airport recorded 253 cancellations, according to FlightAware.

Airlines including JetBlue, United Airlines and American Airlines issued travel alerts, allowing affected passengers to change flights without paying a change fee.

By 6:13 p.m. local time (2213 GMT), FlightAware reported 439 cancelled flights involving US airports and another 2,459 delays.

Source: DW

Travellers from Kuwait are increasingly opting for shorter regional and international breaks as the peak summer holiday period comes to an end, according to travel platform Wego.

Wego’s latest data shows that the number of September departures involving trips of four nights or fewer rose 40% compared with August, pointing to stronger demand for compact holidays as travellers return to their regular routines.

Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were the most searched destinations for September. The cities offer a combination of cultural attractions, entertainment, dining, shopping and leisure activities suited to shorter stays.

Bahrain recorded the largest increase among the leading destinations, with searches for September departures rising 38% from August. Return fares to the most searched destinations started at KWD55 ($178) per passenger, based on searches conducted around one month before departure.

Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer at Wego, said September typically brings a change in travel patterns after the summer peak, with shorter breaks allowing travellers to fit trips around their regular schedules.

Demand for domestic travel also remained strong. Wego recorded a 53% year-on-year increase in hotel searches within Kuwait during July and August, suggesting continued interest in local staycations during the summer.

Kuwait City accounted for the largest share of domestic hotel searches, followed by Salmiya and Al Khiran. Average nightly rates started at KWD63.

The data indicates that travellers from Kuwait are increasingly looking for flexible trips that can be incorporated into shorter periods of free time, with nearby international destinations and domestic stays offering convenient options after the summer travel peak.

Source: TradeArabia

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation has rejected reports that transit flight operations at Kuwait International Airport will begin on October 1, describing the claims as inaccurate.

Authority spokesperson Abdullah Al-Rajhi said Tuesday that no airline operating at Kuwait International Airport had been notified of, or informed about, any decision to launch transit flights from the date cited in the reports.

Speaking to KUNA, Al-Rajhi urged airlines to confirm regulatory decisions and operational information with the relevant authorities before publishing announcements concerning air services or airport arrangements.

He stressed that carriers should consult the Public Authority for Civil Aviation before announcing new procedures or operational changes to ensure that information provided to passengers and the public is accurate and officially approved.

Al-Rajhi also criticised the publication of unverified announcements, warning that inaccurate information could create confusion among passengers and the wider public.

He reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to providing the aviation sector and passengers with timely information on approved developments. Any decision concerning the launch of transit flight operations will be announced officially through the authority’s approved communication channels.

Source: Kuna

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune