The privatised airline leases its showpiece jets while 14 of its own aircraft wait for engines, and its timelines keep slipping
ISLAMABAD, Nov 5 (Focus Pakistan) - The first PIA Dreamliner touched down in Islamabad under a leasing arrangement with Norse Atlantic Airways, which also supplies the crew. Pakistan International Airlines, now privately owned, still has 14 of its own aircraft grounded.
A PIA general manager told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatisation, in an informal briefing, that one Dreamliner had arrived and the second should land on Dec. 15. Two more aircraft, roughly seven to eight years old, will join in January 2027.
The two aircraft due in January would be considerably younger than several existing PIA jets, some of which are more than 20 years old.
Leased, Not Bought
The Dreamliners do not belong to PIA. The airline signed an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) deal with Norse Atlantic Airways in October for two Boeing 787-9s.
The first flew in from London Heathrow on Nov. 1 as flight PK786. PIA called it the first Boeing 787 to join any Pakistani airline’s fleet.
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When private owners took over, PIA had 15 aircraft flying and 16 grounded, the general manager told lawmakers. Today 17 to 18 fly and 14 sit idle. The rest will return as engines and other parts arrive from international suppliers, he said.
Privatisation Secretary Usman Bajwa put the blame on decades of state control. The government left 16 aircraft grounded over the past four decades, he said, and the private sector has now started restoring them.
An Arif Habib-led consortium won 75% of PIA with a Rs135 billion bid in December 2025 and took management control on June 29. Most of that money goes into the airline, not the treasury. The government has received Rs10 billion and the consortium has injected Rs80 billion into PIA, according to the Privatisation Commission. The commission says the consortium will invest a further Rs45 billion before a second financial closing.
The Dates Keep Moving
The timetable has already shifted. On Oct. 30, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Osama Sarwar told the National Assembly that the second Dreamliner would arrive on Nov. 15 and that Karachi-UK flights would resume in January.
Days later, the committee heard Dec. 15 for the jet and March 2027 for Karachi. Sarwar had spoken in response to a calling attention notice over Karachi’s exclusion from the Dreamliner’s UK routes.
Committee members pressed the airline on fares. The general manager conceded that PIA tickets sometimes cost Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 more than rival carriers.
“It all depends on demand and supply,” he said. He also warned that PIA must match competitors or risk its future in the market.
Bajwa pointed to fuel. A sharp rise in refinery margins has pushed up jet fuel costs, he said.
The London Push
Passenger feedback on UK flights, especially on schedules and food, has encouraged the ministry, Bajwa said. PIA returned to Heathrow on March 29 after a six-year absence.
PPP lawmaker Sehar Kamran asked for something else entirely. “We do not ask for free tickets,” she said. She wanted members to watch the Dreamliner land and take off at Islamabad International Airport. Committee chairman Dr Farooq Sattar told the PIA official to arrange the visit.
Empty Government Benches
A quorum row overshadowed the session. The PPP Media Cell said no PML-N member turned up, leaving only Sattar and three PPP lawmakers. The PPP said the committee lacked a quorum and could not take up its formal agenda, leaving PIA officials to provide an informal briefing. The party accused government members of weakening parliamentary oversight.
The Dreamliner gives PIA a showpiece. Whether the rebuild really takes off depends on the 14 jets still waiting for engines.
