New Delhi: The uproar over the Pakistan International Airlines ad that saw a PIA plane pointed toward the Eiffel Tower has now reached the Pakistani Parliament with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering an investigation into the campaign.
The directive was shared by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during a Senate session Tuesday, which also addressed concerns about PIA’s privatisation.
PIA resumed flights between Islamabad and Paris on 10 January. It marked the end of a four year-long European Union-imposed ban on the airline over safety concerns.
The image, which many saw as poorly timed and tone-deaf, was compared to a similar, famous PIA ad from 1979 where a Boeing 747 cast its shadow over the Twin Towers of New York.
Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) criticised the Paris flight advertisement, claiming that it led to public mockery. Rehman also questioned the agency responsible for creating the ad and the official who approved it. She also raised doubt over PIA’s future, questioning the state of its privatisation plans. Rehman also pointed out that only 19 of PIA’s 34 aircraft are currently operational, with the remaining planes grounded, Express Tribune reported.
Ishaq Dar confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered an investigation into the matter, stressing the misleading nature of the advertisement. He confirmed that PIA’s privatisation would move forward, with the government working to involve Pakistan’s corporate sector in the process.
A history of struggle
PIA’s troubles are not new. The airline has faced numerous roadblocks over the years, from devastating crashes to management scandals. Despite attempts to sell off the airline, privatisation efforts have repeatedly faltered.
In the late 1990s, the Pakistani government first announced plans to privatise PIA due to its chronic financial losses. While some restructuring measures were put in place, such as outsourcing non-core functions, these efforts ultimately fell short. Privatisation plans were revived in 2013, but were abandoned after violent protests from airline unions. In 2023 the interim government announced that PIA would be privatised, but the airline’s bleak financial state and ongoing corruption scandals have made it a hard sell.
The Pakistani government’s attempt to privatise PIA in November 2024 drew only one bid—Blue World City, a real estate development company that offered 10 billion Pakistani rupees for a 60 per cent stake. This bid fell short of the government’s minimum asking price of PKR 85.03 billion.
The government’s push for PIA privatisation comes as part of a structural reform agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), following the airline’s 2023 loss of PKR 75 billion and a debt burden of around PKR 825 billion. However, concerns over policy continuity, particularly with a coalition government, led several pre-qualified bidders to back out.