Air India tells cabin crew to cut flab

India’s international carrier, Air India, has threatened to ground overweight cabin staff unless they shed their excess pounds.

The airline’s 1,600 cabin crew workers have been given two months to shape up, or risk being assigned to ground duties, officials said.

“This directive is not something surprising or new. Airlines worldwide follow similar guidelines on fitness,” said G. Prasad Rao, a spokesman for Air India.

Air India’s weight-control rules have been in existence for many years, he said.

But the airline is trying to change the public perception that its cabin staff are tired and inefficient and a recently issued directive says overweight pilots, flight stewards and stewardesses will not be allowed to fly unless they lose the weight.

The airline did not immediately say how overweight crew would have to be before being reassigned, and there was no word on whether any staff members had already been grounded.

Air travel is booming in India with the industry growing at 25% annually. Several budget carriers launched in the past year are attracting first-time flyers, and officials expect the number of passengers to increase from 50 million in India by 2010 from 14 million now.

Air India is trying to keep up with the new competition, and improving the appearance and fitness levels of cabin staff are among its priorities, Rao said.

He would not say how many people would be affected by the order to lose weight, but The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that a significant number of cabin crew members between the ages of 40 and 55 were “overweight, obese or morbidly obese”.

“Imagine if crew members can’t fasten their seat belts, how can they fly?” Rao asked.