(CNN) — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is getting a bumpy ride over a promotional graphic that appears to evoke a terror attack on Paris.
The graphic, posted on X on January 10 to publicize the airline’s renewed flights to the French capital, shows a passenger jet flying toward the Eiffel Tower, alongside the tagline: “Paris, we’re coming today.”
While the graphic was intended to promote new twice-weekly flights between Islamabad and Paris, social media users quickly drew parallels with the 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and called on the airline to rethink its approach.
“Fire your marketing manager,” wrote one, while another asked: “Who thought this ad was a good idea?”
Omar Quraishi, a former media adviser to Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also questioned the state-run airline in a post on X.
“Did the airline management not vet this? Did the idiot who designed this graphic not see …