Pakistan Airlines Faces Backlash Over Eiffel Tower Ad for Paris Flights

PIA's promotional graphic, evoking 9/11 imagery, draws criticism as the airline resumes European flights after a four-year ban.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to Paris on January 10, 2025, after a four-year European Union ban was lifted in November 2024.
The controversy arose from a promotional image showing a plane seemingly heading toward the Eiffel Tower, with the caption 'Paris, we're coming today,' which many found reminiscent of 9/11 attacks.
Critics highlighted PIA's history of controversial advertising, including a 1979 campaign featuring a plane's shadow over the Twin Towers in New York.
The EU ban was originally imposed after a 2020 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people and revealed widespread pilot license fraud within the airline.
While PIA is now permitted to fly to Europe, it remains barred from operating in the UK and US, and the airline continues to face financial struggles and efforts toward privatization.