Pakistan investigates airline advert showing plane flying towards Eiffel Tower
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Islamabad ‘concerned’ about advertisement issued by national carrier. Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation following criticism over a Pakistan International Airline advert showing a plane flying towards the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The national carrier had advertised its resumption of flights to Europe in January, starting with Paris, after the EU aviation regulator lifted a ban on it. The airline's authorisation to operate in the EU was suspended in 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani civil aviation authorities to ensure compliance with global standards. The suspension came after Islamabad began investigating a scandal over the validity of pilot licences in the wake of a plane crash that killed 97 people.
The advert showed a civilian aircraft flying towards the Eiffel Tower with the caption declaring: “Paris, we're coming today”. The unfortunate resemblance of the poster with the 11 September 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, US, drew criticism on social media.
Ishaq Dar, the finance minister, called the advert "stupidity" and said the prime minister had ordered an investigation. "The prime minister has directed to investigate who conceived this ad,” he told a parliamentary session. He also expressed concern about the caption, Geo TV reported.