Air New Zealand has hit some turbulence for playing what critics say is a sexist in-flight safety video which features models wearing nothing but bikinis.

Thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the airline to stop showing the video, which was produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

It is not the first time Air New Zealand has attracted attention for its in-flight safety video.

In 2011 cabin crew and pilots were featured only in body paint during the in-flight safety message.

A year later, Air New Zealand flights were playing a Hobbit-inspired video that featured a cameo appearance from director and producer Sir Peter Jackson.

But those safety videos did not create the kind of reaction as the bikini theme.

The video has been playing on flights since February, but traveller Natasha Young, who is from Melbourne, saw it for the first time just last week.

She was so outraged by what she saw that she started a petition on website Change.org to get the airline to stop playing it.

"I was horrified. It makes a mockery of safety. Certain members of the audience were making lewd remarks," she said.

"I can't see that it's going to help service staff at all. It makes their job harder. I've had comments, clear comments where parents with young children are just mortified."

Ms Young's petition has attracted more than 2,500 signatures. Some of those who have signed it have left comments saying the video objectifies women, inappropriately uses sexual innuendo and does not put safety first.

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Ms Young says Air New Zealand has not taken her complaints seriously and she is offended.

"I rung Air New Zealand myself. I said, 'you know, if I'm planning a trip, is there any way you can give me any information when this video will stop playing. I'm going to have a young child with me, I don't want to expose him to it', and their reply was, 'you could always turn the video off and just make them listen to it'."

The ABC's AM program contacted New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority to ask if the air safety video complies with its regulations.

"We do not dictate creative strategy and do review all videos before granting approval for their use. We do note that any attempt to encourage passengers to tune in instead of tune out when safety briefings are presented should be encouraged," a spokesperson said.

Air New Zealand says the video is in the process of being phased out.

A spokesperson says the video is manually loaded in each aircraft which means the change out is progressive and does not happen on a single date.