Air India recently has given its employees a requirement to either get in shape in next six months or be dismiss. As per reports, a specialist said that this isn’t an act of body shaming. As per the guidelines laid down by the aviation authorities around 100 crew members from the airlines are too fat to fly. Air India’s (AI) new chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani refused to comment on the termination of the staff. However, a senior official confirmed that every airline follows these rules and terminates the crew if they are overweight and Air India will follow the same guidelines as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules.
DGCA in 2014 issued the guidelines on the ideal Body Mass Index (BMI) for both male and female employees. Anyone who didn’t fall in the category was to be declared unfit and would be restricted from on flight duty. But if the staff remains overweight even after 18 months, they would be terminated from service. At present, AI is suffering from staff emergency and has asked DGCA for some time before they can implement this rule. Last year, AI grounded 125 crew members who were overweight but had to withdraw the decision because of staff crunch. The airline was supposed to hire more people and the process was expected to be completed by now. However, they have just hired 300 people even though their requirement is of 1800. Lohani has given the members six months to reduce their weight and reach the ideal BMI or they will be facing termination.
