Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) issued an apology on Friday for an ad featuring a plane near the Eiffel Tower in France. The ad was meant to promote PIA’s first flight to Paris after the European safety ban was lifted. However, it depicted a plane seemingly targeting the landmark with the caption, “Paris, we’re coming today.”
Backlash and Comparisons to 9/11
The ad quickly faced backlash. Many people compared it to the 9/11 attacks, where two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, killing over 3,000 people. As a result, the ad sparked troubling associations with the tragedy.
PIA Issues Apology
In response, PIA issued an apology, emphasizing that the ad’s impact was unintended. Spokesperson Abdullah Khan explained, “Unfortunately, this was blown out of proportion with connotations and perceptions that were not intended. It might have triggered some negative emotion, for which we truly apologize.”
Political Reaction and Inquiry
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar criticized the ad during a Senate session. He called it “stupid” and suggested that a better design would have shown the plane flying above or in a different direction. As a result, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry into the matter.
PIA Defends Campaign
Despite the controversy, PIA defended its ad campaign, arguing that it had been largely well received. A spokesperson shared, “The total collective reach of this ad alone is 30 million, with 755,000 reactions, only 10% of which were negative.” Furthermore, the spokesperson blamed a smear campaign from across the border for the negative reactions.
PIA’s Return to Europe
In addition, PIA had been banned from flying to the European Union in June 2020 following a deadly crash involving one of its planes in Karachi. However, the airline has now resumed flights to Europe, with Paris being one of the key destinations.
