Airlines are constantly making changes. Ryanair demanded alcohol consumption limitations across airports due to a lawsuit against a passenger. Other airlines like Pakistan International Airlines are doing their best to regain its status following multiple bans. The airline is still banned in the U.S., but has plans for a return.

In the meanwhile, they are headed back to Paris, France after a four-year hiatus, but the return started off in the worst way possible thanks to a faulty ad.

Let’s take a closer look at the promotion, and why it landed the airline in hot water. In addition, we’ll reveal why the airline was banned in the US, and what the chances are of a return in the near future.

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It was supposed to be a positive ad as Pakistan International Airlines finally announced its return to Paris. However, the ad was a complete miss and disaster, resulting in more harm than good. The ad reads, “Paris, we’re coming today.” The ad showed a plane headed towards the Eiffel Tower.

Philip DeFranco said in a YouTube short, “Many people were immediately saying this feels uncomfortably close to imagery from the 9–11 attacks. Posts were blowing up with people calling for it to be taken down. Others were saying the airline needs a new marketing team entirely.”

A spokesperson for PIA Abdullah Khan did comment on the allegations, claiming the perceptions were not intended.

“Unfortunately, this was blown out of proportion with connations and perceptions that were not intended. It might have triggered some negative emotion, for which we truly apologize.”

Pakistan’s finance minister, Ishaq Dar, agreed that the advert was a complete miss, and that the Prime Minister was investigating how the ad was released to begin with. “The prime minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad.”

The ad drew quite a reaction, but in truth, it isn’t the first time Pakistan International Airlines released a controversial promo photo.

Users Online Noted This Wasn’t The Only Controversial Ad Promo From Pakistan International

Both X and Reddit users noted that a controversial ad also ran in the ’70s, showing a plane headed towards the World Trade Center in New York City.

Pakistan International Airlines has resumed flights to Paris after a four-year hiatus, and it looks like the airline is eyeing another return. ​​​​​​​The airline is currently awaiting approval to resume flights to New York upon receiving approval from the DOT.

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Pakistan International Airlines Is Looking To Resume New York Flights Following 2020 Ban

Pakistan International Airlines is resuming several international flights.

Those include:

Possible Returns In Coming Months:

Copenhagen

Oslo

Amsterdam

New York flights might be next, with plans for a Boeing 777 fleet to the US, according to Aviationa2z. The airline has completed several international safety audits, and has improved its rankings.

The U.S. Department of Transportation banned Pakistan International Airlines back on July 1st, 2020. The decision came after a suspension issued by the European Union. The ban took place due to a failed attempt to land in Karachi. It was deemed that the airline wasn’t meeting the compliance of the international aviation standards.

Birmingham, Bradford, Barcelona, and London were all included prior to PIA’s ban.

The operation came to an end in the fall of 2017 after 50 years of service. The airline made several stops in New York, Washington D.C., Houston and Chicago over the years.

Let us know your thoughts below. Did you experience a flight with Pakistan International Airlines? Did the airline take its recent promotion too far?

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