Passenger Plane at the Eiffel Tower... Controversy Over Pakistan Airlines Ad Evoking 9/11 Terrorism

Netizens criticize, saying "Reminds of 9/11 attacks"
Pakistan International Airlines banned from flying to Europe due to fake license scandal

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which had been banned from flying to Europe due to pilot license forgery, has resumed flights to Paris, France after more than four years, but the advertisement it released has sparked controversy. In the advertisement, the airplane is depicted flying dangerously close to the Eiffel Tower, almost as if about to collide, evoking memories of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On the 10th (local time), PIA posted an advertisement poster on its X (formerly Twitter) account announcing the resumption of flights between Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and Paris, France. The poster shows a PIA passenger plane flying over Paris, but coincidentally, the plane is depicted as if it is about to crash into the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of France. The background of the poster features the three colors of the French flag, with the phrase "Paris, we are coming today" written above the flag.

Once the poster was released, it caused a huge uproar on social media. Netizens commented that the poster reminded them of the 2001 U.S. 9/11 attacks, saying things like "Is this information or a warning?" and "Fire the person in charge of publicity," strongly criticizing the airline. Despite the controversy, PIA has not responded in any way.

The fake pilot license scandal of PIA was uncovered following a PIA passenger plane crash on May 22, 2020. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Karachi after departing from Lahore but crashed in a residential area less than 1 km from the runway at Jinnah Airport in Karachi, Sindh province. Of the 99 passengers on board, only two survived. Early investigation reports revealed that "the pilot was chatting during landing and had disengaged the autopilot. Neither the pilot nor the air traffic controllers followed basic rules."

According to an investigation by Pakistan's aviation authorities, out of a total of 860 pilots, 262 (30%) were found to have fake licenses or had cheated on exams, including 150 PIA pilots. As a result, Europe and the United States immediately banned PIA flights. However, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced in November last year, four years after the ban, that "Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority has regained sufficient supervisory capability" and "the flight ban is lifted." Nevertheless, the United States and the United Kingdom still prohibit PIA passenger flights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.