Pakistani airline says ad showing plane flying toward Eiffel Tower never meant to evoke 9/11

The illustration shared by Pakistan International Airlines on January 10, 2025, shows a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the landmark, with the words ‘Paris, we’re coming today.’ (PIA)
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Updated 17 January 2025
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Pakistani airline says ad showing plane flying toward Eiffel Tower never meant to evoke 9/11

  • The illustration showed a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the landmark, with the words ‘Paris, we’re coming today’
  • The advert was posted on X by Pakistan International Airlines, or PIA, on Jan. 10, the day that the company resumed flights to European Union

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national airline said Thursday that an advertisement showing a plane heading toward the Eiffel Tower was never intended to evoke the memories of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The illustration, not in video format, shows a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the Paris landmark, with the words “Paris, we’re coming today.”

The ad was posted on X by Pakistan International Airlines, or PIA, on Jan. 10, the day that the company resumed flights to European Union countries after a four-year ban by the bloc’s aviation safety agency.

Many social media users immediately decried the ad, and Pakistan’s prime minister called for an inquiry. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar described the ad as an act of “stupidity.”

PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said Thursday that the ad, which hasn’t been deleted and has more than 21.2 million views, was only ever meant to celebrate that the airline was resuming flights to Europe, and never intended to harm 9/11 survivors or victims’ families.

Hafeez told The Associated Press that he was surprised over the criticism. But he said that “we apologize to those who feel the advertisement hurt them.

“We want to make it clear that we had no intention to hurt the feelings of anyone,” Hafeez said.

He said that the Eifel Tower was shown in the ad because it’s one of the best places in the world.

Curbs on PIA had been imposed in 2020 after 97 people died when a PIA plane crashed in Karachi in southern Pakistan. Then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that an investigation into the crash found that nearly a third of

Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. A government investigation later concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error.

The ban caused a loss of nearly $150 million a year in revenue for PIA, officials say.

Pakistan has some connections to the Sept. 11 attacks. One of the 9/11 masterminds, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was detained in the country in 2003. In 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in a US special forces raid in Pakistan.


Kazakhstan president to explore trade, connectivity cooperation in first state visit to Pakistan this week

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Kazakhstan president to explore trade, connectivity cooperation in first state visit to Pakistan this week

  • Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to visit Pakistan from Feb. 3-4 with high-level delegation, says Pakistan’s foreign office
  • Kazakh president to meet Pakistani counterpart, hold talks with PM Shehbaz Sharif and address Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum

ISLAMABAD: Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will explore bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in trade, regional connectivity, logistics and other sectors when he undertakes his first official visit to the country this week, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Monday. 

Tokayev will arrive in Pakistan leading a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials from Feb. 3-4, the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. 

Tokayev is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart President Asif Ali Zardari, hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum during the visit, the foreign office said. 

“The visit will provide the two sides an important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, discuss new avenues for broadening cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts, and explore collaboration at regional and international forums,” the statement said. 

The foreign office said Tokayev’s visit reflects the strengthening bonds between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, their mutual commitment to transforming historic and cultural affinities into robust cooperation, as well as their common desire for peace and progress in the region. 

Relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan are rooted in shared Islamic heritage and a growing strategic partnership, with Pakistan offering landlocked Central Asian republics access to southern seaports for global trade. Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan when it gained independence in December 1991 and formally established diplomatic relations with it on Feb. 24, 1992. 

The two countries have held regular interactions over the past couple of years on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meetings and other international events. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Murat Nurtleu visited

Pakistan in September 2025 to discuss economic and trade cooperation with Islamabad. 

Islamabad and Astana engage with each other to promote business and political ties via three forums mainly, which are: Bilateral Political Consultations, the Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation, and the Joint Business Council. 

According to the government of Kazakhstan, bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $53.7 million in 2024. Pakistan’s main exports to Kazakhstan include citrus fruits, pharmaceutical products, garments, soap, sports equipment and gear and others.

Kazakhstan’s exports to Pakistan primarily include onions and garlic, dried leguminous vegetables, oats, buckwheat and other cereal grains, seeds and fruits of other oil-bearing crops, among others.