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Irish airline Ryanair is on a Europe-wide search for sexy female cabin crew to strip down for its 2011 calendar.

Despite complaints from women’s groups across Europe, the airline is determined to line up female cabin crew members to pose semi-naked for the calendar.

A Ryanair spokesperson said that despite women’s groups criticism of the calendar idea, a recent poll indicated female staff as the popular choice.

"Overwhelmingly people still want female cabin crews,” he said.

"We wanted sexy passengers to be in it but they said no they wanted cabin crew 50,000 passengers voted and said they wanted it to be female.

"We've come in for some criticism in the past from some women's groups so we decided to let passengers tell us what they want."

The spokesperson said that fewer Irish girls apply to take part in the calendar than other nationalities, and there are no guarantees that an Irish girl will make the cut.

All proceeds go for charity. Last year’s calendar raised $130,000.

Ryanair’s biggest competition is the Irish Fire Brigade calendar, which sold 20,000 copies in 2009 making it the most popular calendar in the world.

The firemen are already hitting the gym.

"We have ten and we're short of two bodies at the moment. They're fine fellows, and they were chosen because they work out and they look good.

"Everyone likes to see firemen with their tops off," a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade calendar told the Herald.

The Irish Fire Brigade charity calendar is set to launch in October. In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the handsome firemen will be selling the calendars out on the streets of Dublin in time for Christmas.

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