Title: From Asian premier airline to trouble airline: rebranding for revival of Pakistan International Airlines

Authors: Muhammad Zafran

Addresses: Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract: This case study discusses the rebranding story of Pakistan International Airlines by changing its visual identity and logo design. PIA dropped the national flag in favour of the animal (Markhor) picture in an attempt to revive the airline trapped in a deep financial crisis for decades. Over the decades, PIA lost its prestige image and needed a fresh brand identity for the revival of business. The management decided to introduce the Markhor livery (a revolutionary logo design) as a move to build a global identity and new identity for the airline. Thus, the study critically analyses the visual properties and characteristics of old vs. new logo designs of PIA and their liking/dislikes for customers and stakeholders. The study utilises a brand orientation framework to guide the research problem and reflects on the evolution of the logo, history, communication style, brand identity, and organisational culture of PIA.

Keywords: logo change; business revival; corporate rebranding; case study; Pakistan International Airlines; PIA.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2025.142871

Middle East Journal of Management, 2025 Vol.12 No.1, pp.1 - 45

Received: 04 May 2023
Accepted: 15 Jul 2023
Published online: 30 Nov 2024 *

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