PIA receives first wet-leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Dhaka: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with the aircraft arriving at Islamabad International Airport from London Heathrow on November 1 as flight PK786.

The arrival makes PIA the first Pakistani carrier to operate the type. However, the jet is not a new purchase. It has been leased from Norwegian budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways under an agreement covering two Boeing 787-9s.

The deal, an ACMI — Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) arrangement, commonly known as a wet lease, was signed in October. Under which, Norse Atlantic supplies the aircraft and crew and remains responsible for maintenance and insurance, while PIA operates the flights.

According to a fleet tracking platform, the Dreamliner is nearly nine years old and entered commercial service in May 2018. It seats 358 passengers in a two-class cabin and features an in-flight entertainment system.

The lease aims to expand PIA's capacity between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The airline returned to the London market on March 29 after a six-year absence, following the lifting of restrictions on Pakistani carriers operating to the UK.

PIA has since been working to strengthen its presence there and has planned additional services linking Islamabad and Lahore with London Heathrow and Manchester.

The first Dreamliner is scheduled to replace Boeing 777 aircraft on selected London services, while Manchester operations are also planned. The second aircraft is expected to add further capacity once it joins the fleet.