Frankfurt: German naturists can now enjoy their hobby ' mid-air' if they take up a new offer from an eastern German travel firm.

German travel agency OssiUrlaub.de said it start taking bookings on Friday for a trial nudist day trip from the eastern German town of Erfurt to the popular Baltic Sea resort of Usedom. The trial trip is planned for July 5 and will cost 499 euros ($735).

Managing director Enrico Hess said "It's expensive, I know,"

"It's because the plane's very small. There's no real reason why a flight in which one flies naked should be more expensive than any other,"he added.

The aircraft is able to sea 55 passengers who will have to remain fully clothed until they board the aircraft and will have to dress before disembarking, said Hess.

For safety reasons the crew will remain clothed throughout the flight.

Naturism, or "free body culture" (FKK) as it is known in Germany, was banned by the Nazis but blossomed again after the Second World War, particularly in eastern Germany.

"I don't want people to get the wrong idea. It's not that we're starting a swinger club in mid-air or something like that," he added. "We're a perfectly normal holiday company."