PIA released a poster announcing their flight resumption to Europe, social media users call out the operation for the terrible design
Pakistan International Airline had resumed their European airlines starting today after a four year hiatus. The airline celebrated the occasion with a poster that it really not vibing well with the audience.
The poster features a plane flying directly close to the Paris Eiffel Tower, with a message that to many people felt like it was an indirect threat rather than a celebration.
In the comment section, users had to question whether the PIA graphic designer had thought out properly that what kind of message would they be sending with their poster
Many users pointed out that the poster seemingly referenced the tragic 9/11 incident, when a plane flew directly into the twin towers of New York.
Over on Twitter, users weren’t happy with the poster either. Lawyer and academic Muneeb Qadir shared a screenshot of the poster on his account and criticised the airline operation for not thinking about the message they were sending with the poster.
“This looks more like a threat than a happy announcement. Terrible advertisement which evokes some very unpleasant memories,” he wrote.
Other users revealed that the PIA poster was quite similar to the 1970’s one, in which the plane loomed directly over the Twin Towers building in New York.
‘The designer should be fired ASAP’: wrote journalist Mahwish Bhatti
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUASA) imposed a ban over PIA in June 2020 following a plane crash in Karachi which had claimed the lives of over 97 people.
Following this, authorities launched an investigation into the pilot licenses, and suspended over 260 pilots, 141 of whom were from PIA.
On November 29, EASA announced that had lifted the ban over PIA after seeing the significant efforts made by the PCAA to comply with international aviation standards.
The aviation minister Khawaja Asif hailed this decision on X, writing:
“It is a momentous day to announce that European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe.
It was made possible due to complete focus of Aviation Minister to strengthen PCAA and ensuring safety oversight in line with ICAO standards. Our Govt has taken significant measures to strengthen PCAA including enactment of PCAA Act, smooth segregation of regulator and service providers, appointment of professional leadership and training to build the capacity.”
