‘Tone deaf’ Pakistan Airlines slammed over advert for first Paris flight in four years

File. Passengers board a Pakistan International Airlines flight - (AFP via Getty)

Pakistan’s national carrier is facing flak online for a “tone deaf” advertisement showing an aircraft flying towards the Eiffel Tower.

The Pakistan International Airlines released the advertisement on Friday to celebrate the resumption of flights to Paris that same day.

The airline was barred from flying to the UK, US and EU in June 2020 after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency suspended its authorisation to operate, reportedly over concerns about the Pakistani aviation authorities’ ability to comply with international safety standards. The EU lifted the ban recently, but the UK and the US remain off limits to the airline.

The ad shows a plane flying towards the Eiffel Tower against a backdrop of the colours of the French flag. The caption reads: “Paris, we’re coming today.”

The ad had garnered over 21 million views on Twitter by Monday.

pic.twitter.com/qUoNCyL385

— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 10, 2025

Critics claimed that the ad was poorly thought out given the accusations against Pakistan of allowing its soil to be used by terrorist groups like al Qaeda. “Is this a threat?” one social media user asked.

Passengers arrive at the immigration counter before boarding their Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris at the Islamabad airport (AFP via Getty)

“I mean who is PIA’s creative agency?” Omar R Quraishi, a former adviser to politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said. “Who designed this? Who or which agency manages its social media accounts? Did the airline management not vet this?

“Did the idiot who designed this graphic not see a PIA plane heading for the Eiffel Tower? One of Europe’s iconic landmarks. Do they not know about the 9/11 tragedy, which used planes to attack buildings. Did they not think that this would be perceived in similar fashion? Do they not know PIA is an airline owned by a country often accused of supporting terrorism? Truly speechless. And it’s still there!”

The Independent has reached out to the airline for comment.

Passengers wait at the immigration counter before boarding their Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris at the Islamabad airport (AFP via Getty)

The EU had barred the airline after one of its planes crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people. An investigation revealed that the crash was caused by pilot error. It also found that a third of Pakistani pilots were in possession of fake licences or had cheated in exams.

The first flight of the Pakistan International Airlines from Islamabad to Paris landed in the French capital on Friday.