Pakistan International Airlines plans to add four aircraft to its fleet to widen operations and restart more domestic and international routes, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Osama Sarwar told the National Assembly in Islamabad on Friday.
Responding to a Calling Attention Notice about Karachi being left off the routes of a recently leased PIA Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner used on Pakistan–United Kingdom services, Sarwar said the airline would induct four aircraft as it works to restore more of its network, including links with the United Kingdom.
When the aircraft join and where they fly
Sarwar said the first of the four aircraft would become operational on November 1, 2026. The second is scheduled to join the fleet on November 15; PIA will decide that aircraft’s route only after it arrives.
He added that two more aircraft would join in January 2027 and begin operations from Karachi. The expansion, he said, should strengthen PIA’s capacity and let it serve additional routes beyond those it flies today.
Karachi–UK flights and the Dreamliner question
Lawmakers had raised the exclusion of Karachi from the operational routes of the leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on Pakistan–UK flights. Sarwar told the House that PIA had been privatised and now operates under an independent board of directors, and that the airline could not be directed to fly particular routes.
He nonetheless assured the Assembly that PIA would commence flights from Karachi to the United Kingdom in January next year. He also said PIA had already resumed flights to the UK, crediting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for that step.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 30, 2026: Osama Sarwar tells the National Assembly that PIA will induct four aircraft and addresses the Karachi–UK Dreamliner route concern.
- November 1, 2026: First of the four aircraft is due to become operational.
- November 15, 2026: Second aircraft is due to join the fleet; its route is to be finalised after arrival.
- January 2027: Two further aircraft are to join and start operations from Karachi; Sarwar says Karachi–UK flights are to begin then.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PIA apne beeday mein char naye tayyare shamil karne wali hai. Pehla November 1 se, doosra November 15 ko aayega, aur do January 2027 mein Karachi se urenge. Karachi se UK ki flights bhi January mein shuru hone ka wada kiya gaya hai. Is se mulk ke andar aur bahir zyada routes khulne ki umeed hai.
