Options for leasing aircraft from Airbus and engines from Rolls-Royce came up in a meeting on PIA fleet modernisation between Federal Aviation Minister Jam Kamal and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, as Pakistan International Airlines looks for a path to modernise its ageing fleet. UK export-credit support was offered to back the financing.
The discussion signals that PIA’s fleet renewal is moving from boardroom approvals to concrete procurement options. The airline’s board had already approved a plan in September to add five leased aircraft for European and UK operations: two Boeing 777s on a six-month wet lease from Norse Atlantic, and three more aircraft through dry-lease arrangements.
Why the timing matters: PIA fleet modernisation
PIA is racing capacity to match restored access to Western skies. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted its ban on the airline in November 2024, and the United Kingdom removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List in 2025. Direct Lahore-London services resumed in March 2026, and the airline plans to raise London frequencies from four to seven weekly flights from October 27, with five weekly flights from Islamabad and two from Lahore.
A PIA delegation travelled to Europe on October 6 to discuss options with aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies, and paperwork for adding the aircraft is being expedited at the airline’s headquarters in Karachi.
The Airbus and Rolls-Royce angle
PIA already operates a substantial Airbus fleet, with the A320 as its principal type on domestic and regional routes, and around 70 per cent of the fleet is Airbus-built, according to recent company updates. Rolls-Royce engines power widebody aircraft types that fit PIA’s long-haul ambitions, and UK Export Finance-style credit support is the standard mechanism through which Britain backs overseas sales of its aerospace manufacturers.
No aircraft order, quantity, delivery schedule or commercial agreement has been announced. The meeting output, as reported, was limited to discussing the options and the availability of export-credit backing.
The bigger picture
PIA’s fleet plans sit inside two larger processes. The federal budget for FY2025-26 exempted the airline from sales tax on aircraft imports and leasing, backdated to March 2015, a measure aimed at improving the carrier’s financial health ahead of its long-pending privatisation. Fleet renewal is also a prerequisite for any credible privatisation: buyers want airworthy, fuel-efficient aircraft, not a maintenance backlog.
For passengers, the near-term payoff is capacity on the Europe and UK routes that the airline is reopening. The longer-term question is whether PIA commits to a structured fleet programme with financed leases, or continues the cycle of short-term wet leases that have plugged gaps in the past.
What is the difference between a wet lease and a dry lease?
In a wet lease, the lessor provides the aircraft along with crew, maintenance and insurance. In a dry lease, the airline operates the aircraft with its own crew and handles operations itself.
Has PIA ordered any new aircraft?
No. The board has approved leasing five aircraft, two on wet lease from Norse Atlantic and three on dry lease. The Airbus and Rolls-Royce options discussed with the British High Commissioner are still at the discussion stage.
Why is the UK involved in PIA’s fleet plans?
Britain is home to Rolls-Royce and offers export-credit support for overseas buyers of UK aerospace products. The UK is also one of PIA’s most important markets, with daily London flights planned from late October.
Writer’s note: The Jam Kamal–Jane Marriott meeting, the Airbus/Rolls-Royce lease options and the UK export-credit offer come from the source brief and could not be independently verified through published ministry or High Commission statements at the time of writing. Fleet, lease and route facts are verified from published press and company coverage.
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Originally reported by The News.
