A promotional calendar released by Thai discount carrier Nok Air (also affectionately known as “the one that paints bird faces on its planes”) has drawn a negative response from the Ministry of Culture.
The calendar features an array of Maxim models draped over Nok airplanes and flashing bedroom eyes at the camera, apparently having run afoul of the sexual sorcery endemic to regional, discount air carriers.
In a statement to the Nation, Ministry of Culture Permanent Secretary Prisana Pongtatpitakkul said that, “[The Nok Air executives] lacks the sense of social and cultural responsibility and ignore social and cultural repercussions – particularly female dignity.”
“Female dignity” has become a major concern for the Culture Ministry as of the past couple weeks (at least so far as their rhetoric is concerned). By contrast, Nok Air executives have argued (predictably) that the calendar means no offense.
Patee Sarasin, a chief executive at Nok Air, told CNN Travel that, “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.” (Who are also “well designed”? What?)
A couple other things to keep in mind about this whole affair:
1) By registering so public a complaint, the Culture Ministry has given Nok Air more free advertising than it ever could have hoped to receive from a modest promotional calendar, no matter how sexy.
2) The Thai government kinda, sorta owns part of Nok Air. Forty-nine percent of Nok is owned by Thai Airways, which in turn owes 51% of its ownership to the Ministry of Finance. Hmmm….
