INDIA: Too Fat To Fly, Air India To Ground 125 Air Hostesses, Other Cabin Crew Members

Air India is planning to ground 125 of its air hostesses and other cabin crew members who are "too fat" to fly.

According to PTI, the 125 personnel who do not meet the ideal weight requirements set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will either be asked to retire voluntarily or be given ground duties.

In May 2014, the aviation regulator had found 600 Air India air hostesses and other cabin crew members overweight and unfit for flying.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the cabin crew members were then given 18 months to meet the compulsory weight requirement set by the DGCA.

As per DGCA, a body mass index (BMI) of 18 to 25 is considered as normal for males, 25 to 29.9 as overweight, while 30 and above is categorised as obese. For women, a normal BMI is set between 18 and 22, while 22 to 27 is considered overweight and above 27 points is categorised as obese.

"Of these 600 cabin staff, around 125, including airhostesses, have failed to maintain the required Body Mass Index (BMI) or weight standards in the prescribed period. Now we have no option but to take them off permanently from flying duty," an unnamed source told PTI.