Pakistan’s aviation history turned a new page on Sunday, 1 November 2026, as Pakistan International Airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down at Islamabad International Airport on flight PK-786 from London Heathrow. PIA Chief Executive Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat and members of the airline’s team were on the tarmac to receive the wide-body jet, which a PIA spokesperson described as the first Dreamliner ever added to the fleet of a Pakistani airline.
The arrival completes a journey that began in London and marks the start of a new chapter for the national carrier’s long-haul operations. The aircraft is the first of two Boeing 787-9s PIA is inducting under a wet-lease agreement with Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways, signed on 9 October. Both jets are expected to begin flying PIA’s UK routes this month.
Touchdown at Islamabad: What Happened on Sunday
The Dreamliner’s arrival on Sunday was a carefully staged moment for PIA. According to the airline’s statement, flight PK-786 brought the jet in from London Heathrow, and Chief Executive Amir Hayat personally welcomed it at Islamabad airport alongside senior airline officials — a reception that underlines how much weight the carrier attaches to this induction.
A PIA spokesperson said the airline is the first in Pakistan to add a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to its fleet, making this the first Dreamliner operated on a Pakistani airline’s schedule. The 787-9 is Boeing’s long-range, twin-engine wide-body jet, and reports put the configuration PIA is receiving at up to 325 seats — a substantial capacity addition for the carrier’s busiest international corridor.
The touchdown follows the Civil Aviation Authority’s clearance for the Dreamliner to operate in Pakistan, granted after a CAA team inspected the aircraft at Oslo Airport — a development urdupro.info reported when the first flight departed London.
The Norse Atlantic Deal: Two Dreamliners on Wet Lease
One point the airline has been clear about: PIA does not own these jets. The aircraft come from PIA’s October agreement with Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways, structured as an ACMI lease — aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. Under this wet-lease arrangement, Norse Atlantic supplies the aircraft and the flight crew and remains responsible for maintenance and insurance, while PIA sells the tickets and operates the flights under its own flight numbers.
The deal, signed on 9 October, covers two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The second jet is due to follow the first, and both are meant to start flying PIA’s UK routes in November, directly adding long-haul capacity where the airline says demand is strongest.
PIA chief executive Amir Hayat said the agreement would add capacity and give passengers more choice, calling the United Kingdom “an important market for PIA.” Norse Atlantic’s chief executive, Eivind Roald, said the deal supports PIA’s “long-haul capacity expansion” and described it as the start of a partnership between the two airlines.
What the Dreamliner Means for UK–Pakistan Passengers
For travellers, the practical payoff is more seats and more options on the UK corridor. PIA has already been building up its Britain operation: the airline restarted direct London flights in March 2026 after a six-year gap, with Islamabad–London beginning on 29 March and Lahore–London on 31 March.
From 27 October, frequencies rose further — Islamabad to London Heathrow went from three to five flights a week, and Lahore to London Heathrow from one to two a week. The Dreamliners slot into this expanded schedule, bringing a modern long-range cabin with advanced in-flight entertainment to routes that have long been served by older wide-bodies.
The arrival is a milestone in the carrier’s fleet renewal, and with the second 787-9 due to join the fleet shortly, UK–Pakistan passengers can expect the Dreamliner to become a regular sight on the route in the weeks ahead.
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