Air India permanently grounds overweight cabin crew

Air India has recently decided to ground members of its cabin crew due to overweight. Over 120 flight attendants are said to be banned from flying, as they failed to maintain the weight requirements set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The Airline addressed around 600 overweight cabin crew members last year, giving them an ultimatum to shed pounds within a certain timeframe, in order to continue flying under the DGCA regulations. Of these 600, approximately 125 failed to meet this deadline, overstepping the set Body Mass Index. According to DGCA regulation, women are to maintain a BMI of between 18-22 while men are allowed to fluctuate between 18-25.

Regular medical check-ups deem crew members either "fit", "temporarily unfit" or "permanently unfit". Overweight cabin crew members are categorized as "temporarily unfit" and are given three months to lose weight. Failing this, they are deemed "permanently unfit" and are banned from flying. The 125 crew members will either be offered ground positions or early retirement.

Written by: Flight-Delayed