Racy calendar gets airline into trouble with Thai government

The Thai government has criticised low-cost airline Nok Air for releasing a sexy calendar that features models from Maxim magazine posing in bikinis.

CNN Travel reports that the Ministry of Culture's Permanent Secretary, Prisana Pongtatpitakkul, said the calendar shows that some businesses refuse to stop using women's bodies to market their products.

She told The Nation: 'They lack the sense of social and cultural responsibility and ignore social and cultural repercussions - particularly female dignity.'

The calendar, shot by men's magazine Maxim, is part of Nok Air's online promotion and features models standing around planes wearing yellow bikinis - the airline's signature colour.

Nok Air's chief executive Patee Sarasin said the government's response was unfortunate but expected.

'Understanding the [Culture] Ministry, their reaction isn't really a surprise, however, given what the public is exposed to on a daily basis, we believe that we have not crossed the line,' he told CNN Travel.

'The airline business has always been seen as sexy globally, that is why our planes - we believe they are well designed - appropriately become the background of these models.'

And it seems some members of the public don't feel the same way as the Thai government about the calendar, which echoes Ryanair's charity calendar with actual crew members wearing bikinis.

Sarasin added: 'Most customers love the calendar and definitely want to own one. As of today, the calendar is becoming a hard-to-find commodity, and the requests for copies keep coming from all walks of life.'

Images: Facebook/Nok Air

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