Too Fat to Fly: Court allows Indian Airlines to drop hostess

Indian Airlines has been rid off Airhostess Nipa Dhar. The IA had been hauling an additional 10 kg in the flights she used to welcome passengers. She did nothing about the non-radial tyres accumulating around her waist.

In September last year, the airline decided to not allow that extra baggage in the cabin and terminated her service. She was 37 and airhostesses retire at 54, so she went to court against the premature termination.

Justice Girish Chandra Gupta of the Calcutta High Court agreed with the airline’s contention that the condition of the appointment made it clear an airhostess was to maintain the specified dress, health and weight code.

Besides Nipa Dhar was warned by the airline in 2001, when she was overweight by 10 kg. She was offered a ground job, but she wanted to be an airhostess knowing that if she continued growing in the profession she block the aisle.

Dhar should have woken up early and tried smelling the coffee. Trim ’em is the new business mantra. Parliament passed a bill recently, which limits the number of minister in a council of minister, in the states. So many ministers in many states are losing jobs in the next few months.

Government departments and companies have offered attractive Voluntary Retirement Schemes (VRS) to its employees. Most private corporations have decided to keep it slim.

Government-owned Indian Airlines and Air-India are also in the same process of getting rid of the flab. They have been in the red for ages because they have just too many employees. And too many have little work to do but accumulate fat.

I don't blame her. Less physical work and no exercise makes one a fat boy. If Nipa saw me in my bay here, she would say: "You are fat too." Well, I am not an air hostess.