With the European Union flight ban lifted, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) returned to Paris on Friday…with an ad that shows the airline has learned nothing (or perhaps quite a bit) from its infamous World Trade Center.
PIA Returns To European Union with Paris Flights
PIA has been a basket case for many years, losing billions of dollars and leading to reasonable safety-related questions over its fleet and pilots.
In 2020, the European Union Safety Agency (EASA) banned PIA from European Union airspace.
The ban occurred after Pakistan’s Aviation Minister at the time, Ghulam Sarwar, publicly accused up to 40% of pilots in Pakistan of operating with fake or invalid licenses. This came on the heels of a preliminary investigation blaming pilot error on the crash of PK8303, an Airbus A320 which killed 98 people during a crash in Karachi.
Live and Let’s Fly dug deeper and spoke to a PIA first officer who helped to clarify that the problem, though serious, was not as widespread.
That ban was finally lifted last month and PIA quickly filed plans to resume service to Paris.
PK 749 left Islamabad (ISB) at 12:27 pm and arrived in Paris (CDG) at 4:51 pm, four minutes ahead of schedule. It will operate twice weekly.
Scenes from the touchdown of first ever flight in four and a half years on Charles de Gualle @ParisAeroport. #PIA will be operating twice weekly service between #Islamabad and #Paris. pic.twitter.com/kX99LJAo3N
— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 11, 2025
The Ad
Yesterday, reader Mick sent me the ad below, wondering if it could possibly be real. Yes, it is real!
— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 10, 2025
The ad shows a PIA 777 headed directly for the Eifel Tower and states:
Paris. We’re Coming Today.
And you have to wonder whether the folks behind this graphic were sheer genuine or absolutely stupid. A plan aimed for the Eifel Tower?
There’s reason to suspect that this was intentional because PIA also published this questionable ad in 1979:
Long before 9/11, this ad stirred up the same controversy.
And that makes me think PIA knew exactly what it was doing…and the millions of views this image has garnered over various social media platforms is about the most effective free advertising you can get. Now everyone knows PIA serves Paris…
On another note, I believe that PIA is still using its ancient 777s which were outdated when I flew on it eight years ago…don’t expect anything fancy in business class.
(hat tip: Mick)
Pakistan was alleged to have fake pilot’s qualifications . Here’s two more Third World examples :
That’s like California having fake politician’s qualifications , who don’t know water is useful against fires .
That’s also like the Arabs having fake military qualifications , whose former invasion of British Palestine was in 1929 .
The California politicians have learned nothing in 200 years , but continue building wooden homes in fire zones , and rickety homes in mud erosion channels , and refusing to vote for competent Mr. Caruso .
The Arabs have learned nothing in 95 years , but keep doing the same dumb incompetent invasions .
I’m cuming to Paris too.
Why should anyone in Pakistan care about what happened in US or happens nowadays at all?
Apparently lot of “Snowflakes” got hurt. Nothing wrong with PIA Paris ad, PIA aircraft passing Eiffel tower as Paris landmark,
PIA New York add was just a silhouette of the plane. Any evidence that this ad was inspiring for Saudi-Arabians?
The only ones who should care are those who suffering now from the liquid restrictions the governmental “morons” all over the World implemented for international travel. Aggressors behaviour have the consequenses, sooner or later.
I wonder if they’ll sacrifice a goat to celebrate.
Sacrifice it if we’re lucky…
Spellcheck is not the enemy.
LOL!
The name “Augustine” could invite birthday-related teasing, with classmates joking that because “August” is associated with a time of year, they must be the center of attention at all times, or the focus of birthday-related humor.