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Advertising watchdog bans 'sexist' Ryanair ads

Ryanair said the promotion featured shots taken from its 2012 cabin crew charity calendar
Ryanair said the promotion featured shots taken from its 2012 cabin crew charity calendar

Ryanair has been criticised by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for a "sexist" advertising campaign, which it said "objectified" women.

The promotion, which showed scantily-clad women in lingerie, sparked a string of complaints, and has now been banned.

The ASA concluded the campaign was likely to cause "widespread offence", after 17 complaints about the adverts were lodged with it.

Ryanair said the promotion featured shots taken from its 2012 cabin crew charity calendar and claimed the pictures were not sexist because members of staff had volunteered to produce the images.

However, the ASA has ruled the adverts cannot appear again.

"We also considered that most readers would interpret these images, in conjunction with the text 'Red hot fares & crew!!!' and the names of the women, as linking female cabin crew with sexually suggestive behaviour," it said.

The promotion caused a furore when it was launched last year and more than 5,000 people lent their support to the online campaign, led by a flight attendant called Ghada.

At the time, she said: "I'm a member of cabin crew. I love my job and take it seriously, so I was disgusted to see this Ryanair ad, which basically portrays cabin crew as glamour models.

"My work colleagues, many of whom are male, work hard with me to ensure the safety of our passengers.

"Safety is our number-one priority, not the brand of our underwear."

In a statement, Ryanair said the entire proceeds of the 2012 calendar went to charity and the airline will continue to produce, promote and advertise its charity calendars.