Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed its flights from Islamabad to Paris and announced the news with an advertisement that sparked a mixed reaction on social media.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), PIA shared an image of a plane flying towards the Eiffel Tower, with the French flag appearing in the background.
However, the red part of the flag next to the iconic monument, as well as the plane heading directly towards it. The images were seen by some social media users as problematic.
The image was accompanied by the message “Paris, we are coming today”.
Photo: @Official_PIA on X
Social media users were quick to react to the post, with some expressing confusion and humor over the graphic design choices and wording, while many made comparisons to images of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
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Photo by: @ThisisOshaz_ on
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Photo: @zainab.hameed on Instagram
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Photo: @Casualrao on Instagram
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Photo by: @brokebutimcute on X
This incident is not the first time PIA has faced scrutiny over its advertisements. X users also shared a controversial ad from the 1970s that depicted the shadow of a PIA plane over New York’s Twin Towers, a design that is now considered insensitive due to the tragic events of 9/11 . If the advertisement was produced well before the attacks, the context made it a source of regret and controversy.
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Photo: @Saikirankannan on X
Despite the criticism, PIA’s new flight route to Paris marks a significant development for the airline, although the publicity faux pas has certainly garnered attention.
