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A-I staffer loses mass appeal, drags employer to court

Airhostess is removed from flying duty for being ‘over-weight’; lawyer says carrier’s policy is arbitrary.

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Airhostess is removed from flying duty for being ‘over-weight’; lawyer says carrier’s policy is arbitrary.

Air-India (A-I), the national carrier, is caught in the battle of the bulge. An air-hostess, removed from flying duty for being “over-weight” has moved the Bombay High Court challenging A-I’s decision not to accept a medical report of the Hinduja Hospital confirming that she had reduced her weight to the permissible limit.

Justice FI Rebello and Justice AV Mohta on Friday directed Janet Correa (name changed) to get a fresh weight-check done at the Nanavati Hospital. If her weight was found to be within the permissible limit (79 kg) then A-I must let her resume flying, the judges said.

Though the career of the 51-year-old air-hostess will be decided by the weighing scale at the Nanavati hospital, the heart of the matter, according to her lawyer Anand Grover, is the “absurdity” of A-I’s policy to ground over-weight staff.

A-I does periodic health check of its cabin crew who are over the age of 35 years, to determine their Body Mass Index (BMI - weight divided by height). A BMI over the range of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/sqm can lead to ailments of the heart and lungs in the long run. “The risk of the disease is in the long run. Why should they be stopped from flying when they do not currently suffer from any ailments? All fat people are not unhealthy,”

said Grover. Between April 2002 and June 2003, nine airhostesses were grounded for being over-weight. Grover has amended the 2003 petition to challenge the A-I policy of grounding over-weight staffers.

The policy is to ensure that the cabin crew, who play an important role in portraying the image of the company, is well-groomed, presentable and maintain their weight within the prescribed limits.

A-I counsel JS Saluja told the court that Janet had been found to be over-weight on more than one occasion and had been given ample opportunity to reduce her weight. The company had even offered her memberships at an up-market health club in Breach Candy to reduce her weight.

He said the weight policy was in keeping with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.

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