Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), reeling from being severely trolled after its recent 'Paris, we're coming' ad fiasco, has said that its first flight to the French capital was "pleasantly greeted". This was Pakistan's first ever flight in four and a half years to touch down at the Charles de Gualle airport.
The country will be operating flights from Islamabad to Paris twice a week, PIA stated.
But social media users have not yet stopped taking the mickey out of the airlines after they put out a misleading poster announcing the resumption of Islamabad to Paris flights by showing a plane flying towards the Eiffel Tower. The visual was construed by many as a ghastly reminder of another ad by PIA from 1979 that showed one of its aircraft casting a shadow on the Twin Towers in New York City. The buildings were destroyed in the 9/11 series of coordinated terrorist attacks in 2001 that claimed thousands of lives. It was orchestrated by Pakistan's terrorist group, the al-Qaeda.
pic.twitter.com/qUoNCyL385
PIA (@Official_PIA) January 10, 2025
"Is this a threat?" asked X user Dr Parik Patel. Several other users asked PIA to delete the post. "You can't be serious this time! This was back in 70s. Fire your designer!" commented another user Muhammad Uzair Balagamwala (@muzairb).
You can't be serious this time! This was back in 70s. Fire your designer! pic.twitter.com/ar2XkIDuHRMuhammad Uzair Balagamwala (@muzairb) January 10, 2025
Then came the trolls.
"I'm upset Pakistan never made it to a Nobel peace award!" commented one user, while another added, "You get attention of over 20 millions people just by one photo, well done PIA marketing team." A third user wrote, "Congratulations. Osama bin Laden must feel proud of you guys."
PIA has not yet responded to the marketing disaster.
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