Pakistan International Airlines is about to make aviation history. The national carrier’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight, PK-786, is scheduled to depart London today, 31 October, and land in Islamabad on 1 November — days after the Civil Aviation Authority granted PIA clearance to operate the Dreamliner in Pakistan for the first time.
The clearance, reported by ARY News on 25 October 2026, followed a detailed inspection of PIA’s first Dreamliner by a CAA team at Oslo Airport. It marks the first time the modern long-haul jet will fly under PIA’s banner on the busy UK–Pakistan corridor.
CAA Gives the Dreamliner Its First Pakistani Clearance
A CAA delegation led by Director General Nader Shafi Dar travelled to Oslo Airport to inspect the first Boeing 787-9 before granting permission for its operation in Pakistan. The inspection covered the aircraft’s condition and readiness for commercial service, and the green light that followed means the Dreamliner is now formally approved for Pakistani skies.
Clearances for the rest of the incoming fleet are queued behind it. A second Boeing 787 is due for inspection at Oslo, while a third aircraft is scheduled to be reviewed at London Airport on 20 November, according to reports.
The Norse Atlantic Deal Behind the Dreamliner
The aircraft come from PIA’s October agreement with Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways, announced on 9 October. Under the ACMI arrangement — aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance — Norse supplies two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners while PIA sells the seats and operates the flights. PIA does not own these jets; they are wet-leased to add long-haul capacity quickly.
PIA chief executive Amir Hayat said the UK is an important market for the airline and that the Dreamliners would expand much-needed capacity with greater choice and connectivity for passengers. Norse Atlantic chief executive Eivind Roald said the deal would strengthen connectivity between the UK and Pakistan, giving the large Pakistani community in Britain more travel options.
PK-786: What We Know About Today’s First Flight
Flight PK-786 is scheduled to leave London on 31 October and arrive in Islamabad on 1 November, carrying up to 358 passengers — the reported seating capacity of the aircraft. The Dreamliners are expected to fly direct routes between the UK and Pakistan, the corridor where PIA needs extra wide-body seats the most.
This is a genuinely new chapter for the airline’s fleet. PIA was privatised in December 2025 and has been modernising its operations since; its current fleet of 31 aircraft consists of Boeing 777s and Airbus A320s, so the 787-9s add a new, more fuel-efficient long-haul type to the mix. Readers planning to book should check PIA’s official website for confirmed schedules and fares, as reported dates can change.
What It Means for Passengers on the UK Route
For travellers, the practical difference is capacity and comfort. The 787 is a modern long-haul aircraft — quieter and more fuel-efficient than older wide-bodies — and two of them on the UK corridor should mean more direct-seat options on one of the busiest routes out of Pakistan.
Today’s departure is the proof of concept: if PK-786 operates as scheduled, Pakistan joins the list of countries whose national carriers fly the Dreamliner, and PIA gets its first real wide-body addition in years. Our earlier explainer on the PIA–Norse Atlantic lease deal covers what the ACMI arrangement means for the airline in more detail.
Sources: TaazaTaren, NewzTodays (reporting ARY News, 25 October 2026, and APP, 9 October 2026).
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