ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ordered an inquiry into a celebratory advertisement by the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) that sparked a controversy last week, with many saying the advert revived fears of 9/11 attacks against the United States.
The Pakistani state carrier resumed its Europe operations with a flight to Paris on Jan. 10, marking the end of a four-year ban imposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) over flight safety concerns. EASA, United Kingdom and United States authorities suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region in 2020 after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses, following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people.
On Jan. 10, PIA shared a promotional image on X featuring a plane that appeared to fly toward the Eiffel Tower along with a tagline, “Paris, we’re coming today.” The design drew instant comparisons online to a 1979 ad by PIA showing its Boeing 747 casting a shadow over the Twin Towers in New York. Many netizens said the chilling image revived horrors of the 9/11 attacks against the US by Al-Qaeda.
In a session of Pakistan’s upper house of parliament on Tuesday, Senator Sherry Rehman drew the House’s attention to the controversial advertisement and said it “cost the national airline its reputation,” with several Western analysts and security experts criticizing the advertisement.
“The cabinet, and the prime minister too, have ordered an inquiry into who conceived this ad,” Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in televised comments, in response to Rehman’s statement. “This was stupidity, to show the Eiffel Tower.”
Dar even suggested alternative ways to portray the resumption of PIA flights to Paris.
“They could have showed the aircraft above it [Eiffel Tower], and said that ‘We are coming’,” he said. “You could have flipped the front of the plane.”
The loss-making Pakistani airline now operates two weekly flights to Paris, on Fridays and Sundays, however, it remains barred from flying to the UK and the US.
PIA flies to multiple cities inside Pakistan, including the mountainous north, as well as to the Gulf and Southeast Asia. The airline, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatizing the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer. Late last year, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
Officials hope the opening of European routes, which they expect will be followed by a similar announcement by the UK later this year, will boost PIA’s selling potential.
