Delta Air Lines received 22,000 applications for about 300 flight attendant jobs in the first week after posting the positions outside the company.

Applications arrived at a rate of two per minute, said CEO Richard Anderson. Applicants will be interviewed in January and new hires will begin in June.

“We’re hunting for foreign-language speakers as we continue to expand to all points around the globe,” Anderson said.

Delta’s applicant rush reflects the demand for jobs amid a 7.9 percent US jobless rate and an interest in the flight-privileges benefit.

Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said the number of open jobs could reach 400. As many as 30 percent will speak languages including Japanese, Hindi, Mandarin and Portuguese, she said.

Delta has said it plans to develop Seattle into a US West Coast gateway for flights to Asia.