Pakistan International Airlines Sparks Outrage with Ad Resembling 9/11 Tragedy; Government Orders Probe

"Controversial PIA ad sparks outrage online as the airline resumes flights to Paris after four years."

January 15, 2025: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed an inquiry into a controversial advertisement by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which sparked outrage for its perceived resemblance to the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks. The ad, intended to celebrate the airline’s resumed flights to Paris after a four-year break, faced severe backlash on social media.

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Controversial Ad and Public Reaction

The ad, posted on PIA’s official X account (formerly Twitter) on January 10, depicted an aircraft heading towards the Eiffel Tower against a backdrop of the French flag. The caption read, “Paris, we’re coming today.”

While seemingly celebratory, the imagery drew comparisons to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, where hijacked planes crashed into US landmarks. The post quickly went viral, amassing over 21 million views, and sparked widespread criticism online.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, addressing the controversy during a parliamentary session, said, “The Prime Minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad. It is stupidity.”

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PIA’s Paris Flight and Previous Controversies

Despite the uproar, PIA’s first flight to Paris in four years successfully landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport on January 10. The resumption follows the European Union’s recent decision to lift its ban on PIA flights. However, the airline remains barred from operating in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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This isn’t the first time PIA has courted controversy:

• In 2017, the airline faced ridicule after staff sacrificed a goat on the tarmac for good luck.
• In 2020, PIA was banned by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) following a crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The crash was attributed to pilot error, exposing that a third of Pakistan’s pilots held fraudulent licenses.

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Pakistan International Airlines, Shehbaz Sharif, PIA Controversy, Paris Flights, 9/11 Imagery, Aviation Scandals, PIA Ban, European Union, Social Media Backlash, Airline Marketing Blunders