PIA's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner lands in Islamabad from London, the first of its kind flown by any Pakistani airline
PIA's first Dreamliner arrived on flight PK-786 from London on Sunday. It is leased with crew from Norse Atlantic and will add capacity on UK routes.
At a glance
- The aircraft landed at Islamabad International Airport on Sunday as flight PK-786 from London Heathrow.
- It is one of two 787-9s leased from Norway's Norse Atlantic Airways on a wet lease, so Norse also supplies crew, maintenance and insurance.
- PIA says the aircraft will add capacity on UK routes and is part of its plan to modernise the fleet.
- Pakistan plans to buy 16 Dreamliners from Boeing, and the airline's new owners want to grow the fleet from 19 to 64 aircraft.
Pakistan International Airlines' first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed in Islamabad on Sunday, arriving from London Heathrow as flight PK-786. PIA says it is the first Boeing 787 to join the fleet of any Pakistani airline. The aircraft is leased rather than owned, and is the first of two coming from Norway's Norse Atlantic Airways to add seats on the airline's UK routes.
PIA chief executive Air Vice Marshal Aamir Hayat met the plane at Islamabad International Airport with members of the airline's team.
Leased with crew: what a wet lease means for passengers
The arrangement is what the industry calls a wet lease, formally an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance agreement. Norse Atlantic supplies the aircraft and its crew and stays responsible for maintenance and insurance, while PIA sells the seats and runs the flights under its own code.
That lets PIA add long-haul capacity quickly, without waiting years for Boeing's production line or training its own pilots on a new type first. It is also a cost, and it does not by itself change PIA's booking systems or service on the ground.
The 787-9 next to what PIA has flown so far
| Specification | Boeing 787-9 |
|---|---|
| Seats | 250-325 by Boeing's figures; Norse lists 338 on its own aircraft |
| Norse cabin layout | 56 Premium, 282 Economy |
| Range | Up to 15,370 km |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 259,220 kg |
| Fuel use | About 25% lower than the planes it typically replaces, Boeing says |
| Cabin pressure | Equivalent to 6,000 feet, 2,000 feet lower than conventional jets |
Until now PIA's fleet has been made up of Boeing 777s, Airbus A320s and ATR turboprops. The Dreamliner's composite body allows that lower cabin altitude and higher humidity, which Boeing says reduces fatigue and jet lag, and its large windows dim electronically instead of using shades.
Islamabad to London is about 6,000 km, comfortably inside the aircraft's range. Islamabad to New York, at about 11,000 km, would also be possible on paper, but PIA has announced no plan for North America with this aircraft.
What the new owners are trying to do
PIA was privatised in December 2025, when a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation agreed to buy 75% of the airline for Rs135 billion ($482 million). The airline had piled up more than $2.8 billion in losses before the sale. The new management plans to more than triple the fleet from 19 aircraft to 64.
Pakistan has also been pressing Boeing to speed up delivery of at least five of the 16 Dreamliners it plans to buy, and PIA's management and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Boeing in July to finalise the deal.
Why overseas Pakistanis are watching the UK route
The UK route carries particular weight for PIA. Its flights to Britain only came back after a long ban linked to safety concerns, and the large British Pakistani community depends on direct links home. More seats could make direct flights easier to find, although PIA has not announced any fare changes.
The Aircraft Owners and Operators Association of Pakistan welcomed the arrival as a milestone, but warned that a new aircraft alone will not win passengers back. Punctual flights, a modern booking system and better customer service had to come with it, the group said.
The second Norse aircraft is still to come; PIA has not given a date for it, or a schedule showing which UK flights the 787-9 will operate.
Questions people are asking
Has PIA bought the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?
Not this aircraft. It is on a wet lease from Norse Atlantic Airways, which also provides the crew, maintenance and insurance. A separate plan covers buying 16 Dreamliners from Boeing.
Which routes will PIA's Dreamliner fly?
PIA has said the aircraft will add capacity on UK routes, including its London service. The airline has not published a wider route list for it.
