Three sacked female cabin crew from troubled Brazilian flag carrier Varig have concluded a deal with men's magazine Playboy to appear nude in its local edition.

The three will pose nude for the Brazilian edition of adult magazine Playboy as a protest against the laying off of over 7,000 crew as the airline is being re-sized. The three blondes, 27-year old Sabrina Knop, 29-year old Patricia Kreusburg and Juliana Neves, 26, will appear together in the September edition of the magazine, the publisher has reportedly confirmed to Brazilian newspaper A Folha.

The three are thought to want to appear in the uniform of their previous employer and the photoshoot is understood to have taken place onboard an aircraft, although sources in Brazil say the type used was a corporate jet arther than an airliner. The girls have previously stated that they wanted to use the photoshoot as a demonstration of their oppsition to the restructuring plan. 

Playboy Brazil's public relations firm says Varig was an icon for the country and as such needs be celebrated.

Last month the former hostesses were among Varig staff that went on strike demanding payment of unpaid wages following the announcement of over 5,000 lay-offs. Unions fear further furloughs from the 4,000 remaining employees as the airline has retained only 10 aircraft to serve a limited domestic and international route network. 

Varig has been restructured following its near-collapse and is now owned by its former cargo arm VarigLog.

The stewardesses are understood to have got the idea from the collapse of US energy group Enron in 2002, after which the Playboy magazine offered disgruntled former employees the chance to pose naked.

Source: FlightGlobal.com