A Thai airline is the first to hire transsexuals as flight attendants.

PC Air has already recruited six "third sex" crew and boss Peter Chan said the hiring policy, driven by a belief in equal rights, would continue.

Chan said transsexuals were perfect for the role, AFP reports.

"I think these people can have many careers, not just in the entertainment business, and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess. I just made their dream come true," he said.

The airline's policy does not require applicants to have gone through a surgical procedure to qualify as a transsexual — more important are language skills and good service.

More than 100 transsexual people reportedly applied for the first round of jobs.

Thanyarat "Film" Jiraphatpakorn, winner of the Miss Tiffany beauty pageant in 2007, was among the first round of successful applicants.

The airline but hopes to be fully up and running by April with charter flights across Asia.