Pakistan, Oct. 11 -- The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has signed a lease agreement with Norway's Norse Atlantic Airways for two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners aircraft as the airline works to expand its expansion. The agreement helps Norse retain a key ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) contract after India's largest ?airline IndiGo in July said it would end its wet-lease arrangement with the Norwegian group.

Norse, faced with soaring jet fuel costs, has been reducing its exposure to low-cost transatlantic services and increasing its focus on ACMI, under which it leases aircraft and crews to other airlines for a fee. The aircraft are expected to join PIA in November and operate long-haul flights between Pakistan and the ...