PIA receives first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to expand UK operations

Pakistan International Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which arrived at Islamabad airport on Sunday from London as flight PK786. Profit by Pakistan Today reported that PIA obtained the aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways under an ACMI arrangement signed last month, in which the provider supplies the plane, crew, maintenance and insurance.

The aircraft can carry up to 325 passengers and is intended mainly for direct long-haul services between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. PIA says it will use the added capacity to broaden its international network and improve passenger services; the airline’s existing fleet includes 12 Boeing 777s, 15 Airbus A320s and five ATR aircraft. This is the first of two Dreamliners planned under the agreement, following the airline’s privatisation last year, when an Arif Habib Corporation-led consortium secured a 75% stake for Rs135 billion.