Pakistan International Airlines faces backlash over Paris ad resembling 9/11

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has come under intense scrutiny following the release of an advertisement depicting a plane flying toward the Eiffel Tower, intended to announce the resumption of flights to Paris.

The ad captioned “Paris, we’re coming today” drew immediate criticism for its perceived similarity to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

pic.twitter.com/qUoNCyL385

— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 10, 2025

Public outcry, government response to Paris

The advertisement, posted on PIA’s official X account on Jan. 10, quickly went viral, amassing over 21 million views and a slew of negative reactions. Social media users expressed outrage, with one commenting, “Is this a threat???” In response to the backlash, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation to identify those responsible for the ad’s conception.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar labeled the advertisement “stupidity” during a parliamentary session, confirming the prime minister’s directive for a probe.

Historical sensitivities and Pakistan International Airlines’ controversial past

The imagery used in the ad has been criticized for evoking memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks where hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths.

Notably, Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda who orchestrated the attacks, was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.

This incident adds to a series of controversies involving PIA. In 2018, the airline faced ridicule after staff sacrificed a goat on the tarmac to ward off bad luck following a major air disaster. In 2019, PIA drew criticism for instructing flight attendants to lose weight or face grounding, giving them six months to shed “excess weight.”

Current status and future implications

Despite the uproar, PIA successfully resumed its flights to Paris on Jan. 10, marking the end of a four-year suspension because of safety concerns. While the European Union has lifted its ban on PIA flights, the airline remains prohibited from operating in the United States and the United Kingdom.

As the investigation unfolds, the incident raises questions about the oversight and decision-making processes within PIA’s marketing department, highlighting the need for cultural sensitivity in global advertising campaigns.