AI's overweight air hostesses get pink slips

New Delhi, Jan 5: Being overweight might not affect a software professional or a journalist, but it will surely affect an air hostess. Air India, has given pink slips to 10 air hostesses for being overweight. The termination letter was given in the last week of December even though they were grounded some months earlier, an Air India official said.

The terminated air hostesses are from domestic routes. One of the sacked air hostesse told that she was grounded two years ago but she was not given salary since then. She was given a one month's salary along with the termination letter.

Around five air hostesses were given pink slips under similar circumstances for which the air hostesses had even challenged the company in the Delhi High Court. But the court dismissed their petition stating that there was nothing wrong in the rules which prescribe different weight limits according to the height and age of an air hostess.

For an 18-year-old air hostess with a height of 152 cm, the maximum weight permissible is 50 kg, while for air hostesses in the age group of 26 to 30 and a height of 152 cm, the weight limit is 56 kg. When contacted, Air India spokesperson J Bhargava said he was not aware of the issue. The airline's executive director (north) DS Kohli refused to comment.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)