Did PIA Display a Pride Flag Over its Office?

A picture went viral on social media, showing the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) office in Amsterdam adorned with an LGBTQ+ pride flag at its entrance. The image has led to claims that the national carrier is endorsing the LGBTQ+ community.

The image, shared by a social media user with the caption “PIA supports pride,” quickly went viral, amassing over 38,000 views. However, the post lacked crucial details such as the exact location of the office and the time and date the image was taken, prompting a fact-check to verify the authenticity of the claim.

A spokesperson for PIA clarified that the office in question was located in Amsterdam and had been shut down in 2018. He explained that the city of Amsterdam celebrates the queer festival Amsterdam Pride annually from July 22 to August 4. The spokesperson emphasized that the pride flag was put up by the municipal government of Amsterdam, not by PIA.

To support his statement, the spokesperson shared additional pictures and videos of the street, showing that the larger flags bore the monograms of the municipality, indicating that they were part of the city’s decorations for the festival. He further noted that these flags did not represent PIA’s values or endorsements.

Amsterdam is renowned for being a queer-friendly city and is set to host the WorldPride festival in 2026. The city’s inclusive policies and celebrations often include widespread displays of the pride flag, especially during the Amsterdam Pride festival.

The PIA spokesperson also mentioned that the office space had been rented out to another entity, which was in the process of removing PIA’s name and logo as part of the renovation. This further corroborates that the pride flag was not an endorsement by PIA but rather a part of the city’s broader celebration.