Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has come under fire for an advertisement that showed one of its planes flying toward the Eiffel Tower in Paris, sparking widespread criticism on social media.
The ad, intended to promote the resumption of PIA’s flights to the French capital, featured the caption “Paris, we’re coming today.” However, the image of the plane approaching the landmark drew comparisons to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, where hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Some social media users questioned whether the ad was “a threat” rather than a promotional message.
The advertisement has been widely shared, accumulating more than 21 million views on X (formerly Twitter) since it was posted last week. Many users expressed outrage, with some calling for the airline to “fire your marketing manager” for failing to foresee the backlash.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation into the controversial ad, while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has also condemned it. The backlash comes as the image evokes painful memories of the 9/11 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. The mastermind behind the attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was arrested in Pakistan in 2003, while al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011.
Pakistani journalist Omar Quraishi expressed his disbelief on X, stating, “Did the airline management not vet this? Do they not know about the 9/11 tragedy?” He questioned whether PIA had considered how the ad might be perceived given the sensitive historical context.
As of now, PIA has not issued a public statement regarding the incident, but the airline has a history of controversial moments. In 1979, it published an ad featuring a passenger jet’s shadow over the twin towers of the World Trade Center. In 2017, the airline attracted ridicule after staff performed a goat sacrifice to ward off bad luck following a major air disaster. In 2019, PIA stirred public outcry by instructing flight attendants to lose weight or face grounding.
The latest incident has added to PIA’s reputation for provocative publicity, but it also highlights the growing scrutiny on corporate marketing in an era where sensitive issues can quickly ignite online backlash.
