Company defends ad that features nude flight attendants as 'courageous'

The ad, by Kazakhstan company Chocotravel, features a number of nude women wearing nothing but neck scarfs and strategically placed hats. Photo / YouTube

A travel company is defending a bizarre advertising campaign that's been panned on social media for featuring models posing as naked flight attendants.

The ad, by Kazakhstan company Chocotravel, features a number of nude women wearing nothing but neck scarfs and strategically placed hats, apparently to reinforce the company's pledge to add nothing extra to the cost of airfares for customers.

Chocotravel has kept the controversial ad on its Facebook page and on YouTube despite it being branded "demeaning" to women and "tasteless".

Many critics vented their outrage at the short clip on Facebook.

"What if it was your mother or little sister in the ads. How would you feel?" one person asked, according to the BBC.

Another said the company had hit an "all-time low" with the "old fashioned" and "sexist" ad.

But some people defended the ad, saying there was nothing shameful about the women's bodies, and praising the company's bold advertising strategy.

"They are brave people who are not afraid to experiment or act to change the world," one person said on Facebook.

The company released a follow-up ad, featuring male pilots. Photo / YouTube

Chocotravel published a male version of the same ad on its Facebook page the next day, using the same script but featuring male pilots, which did little to appease those complaining of the ad campaign's sexism.

Responding to the outrage on his Facebook page, Chocotravel ticketing service director Nikolay Mazensev said clips were "bold and outrageous" and the company "did not mean to offend".

"It shows no less than you'd see on the beach or by the pool," he said. "Do you attack girls in short skirts or swimsuits?"

Travel company Chocotravel said their ad was "bold and courageous". Photo / YouTube

Nurken Rzaliyev, an employee of Chocotravel's parent company Chocofamily, also took to Facebook to deny the ads were sexist.

"There's definitely no sexism," he said.

"Opinions were divided, but attention was made to the problem of high ticket prices."