The low-cost carrier’s latest print campaign to promote its charity calendar with the tagline, ‘Red hot fares & crew’ has been dubbed to raunchy, receiving 17 complaints and a ban from advertising watchdogs.

The campaign that was set to run in a national newspaper and featured two flights attendants in their underwear, received up to 11,000 signatures in an online campaign which challenges the ads while the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it received 17 complaints that the campaign was sexist and objectified women, The Guardian reported.

However, Ryanair defended the campaign claiming it was not sexist of objectifying of women and the carrier had received permission from the women to use the pictures for advertising purposes.

"We also considered that most readers would interpret these images, in conjunction with the text ... and the names of the women, as linking female cabin crew with sexually suggestive behaviour," the ASA said.

"Although we acknowledged that the women in the ads had consented to appear in the calendar, we considered that the ads were likely to cause widespread offence, when displayed in a national newspaper, and therefore concluded that they breached the [advertising] code."

Ryanair head of communications Stephen McNamara added that although the pictures received 17 complaints, the same pictures used the in the carrier’s charity calendar is purchased by up to 10,000 people per year.