PIA discontinues new livery, restores old one after poor public response, court order

Pakistan's cash-strapped national carrier on Tuesday said it has discontinued the new blue livery of Markhor -- the country's national animal, and restored the old logo and the tagline after poor public response and a court order.

The move by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) came after Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, in May last year, ordered the PIA management to stop replacing the national flag on the tail of its aircraft with the new logo.

The PIA had replaced its old livery of the country's national flag as part of its rebranding effort to make a comeback to the global arena, the Dawn newspaper reported.

In the new livery, a Markhor (in blue) - a wild goat species found in northern and central Pakistan which is also the national animal - was to be visible on the aircraft tail, while the cockpit integrated Pakistan's flag, accompanied by PIA, written in both English and Urdu.

PIA Chief Executive Officer and chairman Air Marshal Arshad Malik, in an order said that it has been approved that the airline's new blue logo has been discontinued from stationery products, billboards, documents and all other places, the report said.

The directive also said the new blue logo has been discontinued and the old logo (of Pakistan's flag) and the slogan 'Great People to Fly With' have been adopted and it will be reproduced on all documents and platforms.

"The carrier's old logo, the national flag, has been restored as the public acceptance of Markhor was not good as well as the Supreme Court had also barred the PIA from replacing the Pakistan flag on the tails of its aircraft," PIA spokesman Mashood Tajwar said.

He said that the picture of Markhor had also been removed from one aircraft following the apex court's orders.