Pakistan International Airlines has secured clearance for its first Boeing 787 following an inspection at Oslo Airport. The airline plans to launch Dreamliner operations with a London–Islamabad flight on October 31.
A Civil Aviation Authority delegation led by Director General Nader Shafi Dar inspected the aircraft and approved its operation, according to sources.
Flight PK-786 will depart London on October 31 and reach Islamabad with passengers on November 1, the report said. The aircraft will offer seating for 358 passengers.
PIA also plans to introduce a new uniform on October 31, alongside the launch of Boeing 787 operations.
Inspectors were scheduled to examine a second aircraft at Oslo Airport on Monday, October 26. A third aircraft is due for inspection in London on November 20.
Sources told ARY News that the remaining aircraft would head to London after completing their inspections. They expect the additional capacity to strengthen PIA’s international network and improve passenger services.
The clearance follows an earlier leasing announcement involving Norwegian carrier Norse Atlantic Airways. Norse would lease two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to PIA, with operations starting in November.
That agreement covers aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance, commonly known as an ACMI or wet-lease arrangement. Norse has increasingly pursued these contracts as higher fuel costs put pressure on its transatlantic business.
The earlier announcement specified two aircraft, while inspections involving three. The available reports do not explain that difference.
Meanwhile, disruptions to Saudi-bound services have complicated travel for passengers using Pakistani airports.
A complete suspension of PIA’s Riyadh operations was reported. Fly Jinnah also cancelled a service covering Lahore, Karachi and Riyadh.
Flynas cancelled its Karachi–Madinah and Karachi–Riyadh flights for technical reasons, according to the report. Other airlines continued scheduled services to Madinah and Jeddah from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said it had established special facilitation counters at major airports nationwide to assist affected passengers.
The disruption follows deadly attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. However, the casualty figures relate to an earlier attack, rather than a newly confirmed October 24 incident.
The attack that initially killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300 to October 10 was Saudi Arabia’s deadliest attack in more than a decade.
The death toll is at 13 and Saudi authorities announced a partial reopening on October 25. Terminals 1 and 2 resumed handling domestic and international services, although flight-tracking data showed little traffic following the announcement.
That partial reopening does not, by itself, establish that PIA has resumed its Riyadh flights.
