PIA Ad Featuring Plane Flying Toward Eiffel Tower Sparks Controversy

International Desk

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) faced severe backlash over an advertisement featuring a plane seemingly heading toward the Eiffel Tower. The ad, intended to announce the resumption of flights to Paris, carried the caption, “Paris, here we come.”

Social media users likened the imagery to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when planes crashed into the Twin Towers in the United States. Many accused the ad of evoking painful memories and drew parallels between the attacks on a U.S. symbol of pride and the perceived threat to France’s iconic monument.

One social media user reacted on PIA’s official handle, saying, “Is this an advertisement or a threat?” Another commented, “The marketing manager responsible should be fired.”

Within days, the advertisement garnered over 21 million views on X (formerly Twitter), with criticism continuing to pour in.

The controversy prompted Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order an investigation. According to Geo News, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also condemned the advertisement, calling it deeply inappropriate.

On September 11, 2001, hijacked passenger planes were used to attack the Pentagon and New York’s Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring countless others. The mastermind behind the attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was arrested in Pakistan in 2003, and Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a 2011 U.S. operation in Pakistan. These events have since led to Pakistan being labeled a haven for terrorists.

Netizens argued that the PIA advertisement unintentionally brought these memories back to the forefront. Pakistani journalist Omar Quraishi expressed shock, writing on X, “This ad is mind-boggling. Did PIA not consider the symbolic implications of 9/11?”

This isn’t the first time PIA has faced public criticism. In 1979, an ad featuring a plane’s shadow over the Twin Towers drew criticism years before 9/11. In 2017, images of a goat being sacrificed near a plane went viral, leading to outrage. The ritual was reportedly performed to “ward off bad luck.” In 2019, the airline ordered flight attendants to lose weight within six months or face termination, sparking global debate.

PIA has yet to issue an official statement regarding the Eiffel Tower ad. Critics are urging the airline to exercise greater sensitivity and foresight in future campaigns.