It is now official that Air India cabin crew are unfit as medical examinations, pending for five years, reveal that to begin with, one in every four flight attendants is overweight. Though opposed by unions fiercely for obvious reasons, a lot of life-threatening ailments, including cases of cancerous growth, heart diseases, in addition to cholesterol and diabetes, were also detected in many that most employees got to know for the first time.

Half of about 4,000 flight attendants at the national carrier are above 40 years of age, who were the first ones that the airline prioritised for a medical check up, starting January.

"We had two things in mind when we started this exercise: weight and general fitness. Though cabin crew treated it as punitive action, we think it has been a blessing in disguise for many," a senior AI executive told ET.

According to the official, close to 20% of the 1,500 cabin crew examined so far were detected with diabetes, hypertension and cholestrol, a few people were in immediate need of angioplasty, while nine were detected having early stages and hence curable malignancy and breast cancer.

While 500 cabin crew aged above 40 are still to be examined, the airline management is giving a rest period of three months to flight attendants who require to get back into shape.

"Those who are not able to get back into shape in the prescribed time will be grounded. They will be given ground jobs and not allowed to fly," the official said.

Meanwhile, senior cabin crew remain uncomfortable and reluctant to the medical check ups arguing that it is unfair to ground someone.

"We've been working all our lives. If at 45, there is a hormonal problem and I bloat, you'll put me off? Getting back into some shape is possible, but not entirely at a certain age," a cabin crew union leader said. Another senior flight attendant felt that not allowing one to fly for three months over weight issues is also unfair because one doesn't earn.

"I will not get my entire salary, how do I manage my house? Let me do some flying and check weight after three months. If I have not reduced, action could be taken then," she said.

In a situation where salaries don't come on time and cabin crew is overworked, where is the time and money to go to a gym, she rued.

According to norms laid down by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airlines should conduct medical examinations of cabin crew every two years. After finishing check ups of the senior flight attendants by May-end, the remaining 2,000 will be checked over the second half of 2013. But in case of Air India, the exercise is less to do with following a regulation, but to address passenger complaints pertaining to poor quality of service and inhospitable cabin staff.


Keywords:Air India, medical examinations, heart diseases, cholesterol , diabetes, employees, flight attendants , medical check up, hypertension,angioplasty, malignancy,breast cancer,cabin crew ,hormonal problem, Directorate General of Civil Aviation ,DGCA, airlines, exercise ,Business news,cabin staff.