PIA’s First Boeing 787-9 Lands in Islamabad on a Wet Lease From Norse Atlantic

Pakistan International Airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 landed at Islamabad International Airport on November 1, 2026, arriving from London as flight PK786. The jet is wet-leased from Norse Atlantic Airways, so PIA has added a Dreamliner to its schedule without buying one.

PIA said in a statement reported by Dawn that it is the first Pakistani airline to add a 787-9. Chief executive Amir Hayat and his team met the aircraft on arrival, according to Dawn.

None of the arrival reports AeroCorner reviewed gives the aircraft’s registration. Pre-flight reports from ARY News and Minute Mirror had PK786 leaving London on October 31 and reaching Islamabad with passengers.

What “Received” Means Here

Several headlines say PIA received the aircraft, which suggests a delivery from Boeing. The paperwork says otherwise: Norse’s October 9 release describes an ACMI agreement for two 787-9s, under which Norse provides the aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance.

That is a classic wet lease structure. PIA signed on October 9 and had a 787 on its schedule about three weeks later, without buying a jet or supplying the crew itself.

Norse’s release gives no contract length or price. Minute Mirror, citing unnamed sources, reported an initial term of six months.

The deal also solves a problem for Norse, which operates 12 Boeing 787-9s. IndiGo said in July it would hand back the six it had been flying, and Norse’s release says the PIA contract lets it redeploy capacity from that previous ACMI operation.

Two Aircraft or Three

Norse’s release, the Associated Press of Pakistan and Dawn all put the agreement at two aircraft, and Dawn says one has arrived so far. ARY News, citing unnamed sources on October 25, described three, with the third due for inspection in London on November 20.

AeroCorner found no statement from either airline confirming a third jet. ARY and Minute Mirror also reported that a delegation led by the head of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority inspected the first aircraft at Oslo and cleared it to operate in Pakistan, again citing unnamed sources.

Seat counts differ too. ARY, Minute Mirror and AeroTime give 358 seats, while SeatMaps lists Norse UK’s 787-9 at 338: 56 premium economy and 282 economy.

Where the 787s Are Scheduled to Fly

PIA returned to London in March 2026 after a six-year gap, the Express Tribune reported. According to schedule filings tracked by AeroRoutes on October 21, the Norse-operated 787-9s replace Boeing 777-200ERs on four UK routes.

Route	787-9 from	Weekly flights
Islamabad to London Heathrow	October 31	5
Lahore to London Heathrow	November 1	2
Islamabad to Manchester	November 15	4
Lahore to Manchester	November 18	1

Birmingham is not on that list. Bloom Pakistan reported on October 29 that a Dreamliner was expected to fly from Birmingham to Lahore on November 1, but AeroCorner could not confirm that flight took place.

AeroRoutes shows PIA’s Birmingham return as a separate Islamabad service from December 1, three times a week, on 777s.

The 787s PIA Wants to Own Are a Separate Story

The leased pair should not be confused with PIA’s wider ambitions. In July, aeroTELEGRAPH and Travel Extra reported that the airline was in talks with Boeing over a plan for 16 787s and pushing to get at least five in the first half of 2027, ahead of an original 2028 start.

Those reports also describe a plan to grow from 19 active aircraft to 64 over eight years. AeroCorner found no announcement of a signed order or a confirmed delivery schedule as of November 2.

Money is the open question. Pakistan’s finance minister raised PIA’s interest in the 787 with the US Export-Import Bank in September, while a finance adviser said on X the government is not buying aircraft for PIA and has announced no sovereign guarantee.

PIA is now privately controlled: a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation won a 75 percent stake for Rs135 billion in December 2025, Dawn reported. For now, its first Dreamliner is a way to add capacity and a new type on UK routes before any order of its own has been announced.