Pakistan Airline Ad Depicts Plane Flying Into Eiffel Tower

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

An advert created by Pakistan International Airlines has received fierce backlash for depicting one of the company’s planes flying directly toward the Eiffel tower in an image evoking the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The caption alongside the image reads “Paris, We’re Coming Today,” prompting some to ask if it is a threat.

Is this a threat???

— Dr. Parik Patel, BA, CFA, ACCA Esq. (@ParikPatelCFA) January 10, 2025

To make things worse for the airline, an ad made by PIA in the 1970s that depicted a plane’s shadow on the twin towers of the World Trade Center is again going viral.

This was PIA’s ad in 70s… they haven’t learnt anything yet… in which world they live????? pic.twitter.com/AdkaBBK5as

— Yasir PTI (@Yasir_PTI_UK) January 10, 2025

You can’t be serious this time! This was back in 70s. Fire your designer! pic.twitter.com/ar2XkIDuHR

— Muhammad Uzair Balagamwala (@muzairb) January 10, 2025

The purpose of the new ad is to announce that PIA flights to Europe are resuming following a five year ban imposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after a PIA Airbus A-320 jet crashed into a street in Karachi, killing a hundred people.

In addition to a poor safety and financial records, investigations into the incident led to accusations that many PIA pilots were flying with falsified licenses. The airline is still banned from operating in the United Kingdom and the United States.

prolly should have put the tower on the left of the shot

— tossit (r/acc/n) (@TossitRambles) January 11, 2025

Uhh, I don’t think Parisians want you to come like that.

— Manuel, mocha enjoyer (@ManuelSConde) January 10, 2025

Worse still there is kinda a twin tower theme happening with the French flag pic.twitter.com/H0XJAAWLgz

— GrokCheck ☼ (@GrokFact) January 10, 2025

Please don’t fly into the Eiffel Tower.

— KU (@KU20241201) January 10, 2025

Even people in Pakistan were shocked at the imagery, with columnist and former political media adviser Omar Quraishi pondering “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 that PIA is an airline owned by a country often accused of supporting terrorism?” Quraishi added.

I mean who is PIA’s creative agency

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… pic.twitter.com/Z0Vm7LQR51

— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) January 10, 2025

Pakistani Finance Minister Isaq Dar also labeled the ad “stupid,” and announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation. 

Some believe PIA used the provocative image on purpose to drive social media engagement.

This is low key marketing genius. If there’s one thing that sells besides sex, it’s terroristic threats of flying planes into national monuments.

— Darth Crypto null af (@DefNotDarth) January 10, 2025

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