Pakistan airlines has been hit by a backlash after it released an advertisement featuring a plane that appears to fly into the Eiffel Tower.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which had been banned from flying into the UK, US and EU in 2020 due to safety concerns, announced on Friday that it had resumed flights to Europe.
In a social media post, PIA published a photo showing a plane flying close to the Eiffel Tower with the caption “Paris, we’re coming today”.
However, people were quick to point out that the advert appeared to show the plane heading into the landmark, branding it as “tone deaf”.
Pakistani PR expert Omar R Quraishi wrote on X: “Did the idiot who designed this graphic not see a PIA plane heading for the Eiffel Tower? One of Europe’s iconic landmarks.”
He added: “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?”
Quraishi proceeded to say that the image was highly insensitive due to PIA being an airline owned by a “country often accused of supporting terrorism”.
This move is a setback for the Pakistani airline, after the EU lifted their four-year restriction.
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The ban was put in place in 2020 after a PIA plane crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people.
An investigation found that the crash was caused by a pilot mistake, further noting that almost one third of all Pakistani pilots either held fake licenses or had cheated in their exams.
PIA also came under fire in 2017, after admitting it overfilled a flight, allowing seven extra passengers to stand in the aisle.
The airline gained further notoriety after viral images online showed staff sacrificing a goat next to a plane to ward off bad luck.
This followed a crash that killed 47 people in 2016.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the lifting of restrictions would help the airline’s public image.
PIA said their first flight from Islamabad to Paris was fully booked with over 300 passengers.
This is not the first time the airline has caused controversy with its advertising. A 1979 campaign for PIA that resurfaced in the aftermath of 9/11 showed the shadow of a plane against the twin towers in New York City.
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Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which had been banned from flying into the UK, US and EU in 2020 due to safety concerns, announced on Friday that it had resumed flights to Europe.
In a social media post, PIA published a photo showing a plane flying close to the Eiffel Tower with the caption “Paris, we’re coming today”.
However, people were quick to point out that the advert appeared to show the plane heading into the landmark, branding it as “tone deaf”.
Pakistani PR expert Omar R Quraishi wrote on X: “Did the idiot who designed this graphic not see a PIA plane heading for the Eiffel Tower? One of Europe’s iconic landmarks.”
He added: “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?”
Quraishi proceeded to say that the image was highly insensitive due to PIA being an airline owned by a “country often accused of supporting terrorism”.
This move is a setback for the Pakistani airline, after the EU lifted their four-year restriction.
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The ban was put in place in 2020 after a PIA plane crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people.
An investigation found that the crash was caused by a pilot mistake, further noting that almost one third of all Pakistani pilots either held fake licenses or had cheated in their exams.
PIA also came under fire in 2017, after admitting it overfilled a flight, allowing seven extra passengers to stand in the aisle.
The airline gained further notoriety after viral images online showed staff sacrificing a goat next to a plane to ward off bad luck.
This followed a crash that killed 47 people in 2016.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the lifting of restrictions would help the airline’s public image.
PIA said their first flight from Islamabad to Paris was fully booked with over 300 passengers.
This is not the first time the airline has caused controversy with its advertising. A 1979 campaign for PIA that resurfaced in the aftermath of 9/11 showed the shadow of a plane against the twin towers in New York City.
Find Out More...