India's national carrier Air India is set to ground 125 "overweight" cabin crew members.
印度国家航空公司印度航空准备让125名“超重”空乘人员停止机舱内服务。
An Air India official told the BBC that the order had been made on the basis of a document issued by the civil aviation authority last year.
印度航空公司一位官员向英国广播公司(BBC)表示,印航基于印度民航局去年发布的一份文件做出了此规定。
The airline had warned 600 of its crew to "shape up" last year, but 125 had not managed to maintain the required weight, the official said.
该工作人员表示,他们公司去年已经告诫600名员工进行“塑形”,不过仍有125名员工体重未达标。
The airline says however that the issue is not one of weight, but "fitness".
该公司表示,这项规定并非针对体重,而是要求“健美”。
Airline officials confirmed to the BBC that the directive had been issued, but said it was part of an internal document which they could not comment on publicly.
印航官员也向BBC证实,该公司的确下达了此项规定,不过他们也表示此项规定只是内部文件,他们不能公开置评。
They said the basis for the recommendation was concern that "unfit" cabin crew would not be able to operate efficiently in emergency situations.
他们称,此项提议的基础是出于“不够强健”的乘务人员在紧急情况下可能无法高效行事的考虑。
Aviation regulations state that a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18-25 is normal for a male cabin crew member, while for a female it is 18-22.
航空条例规定,男性空乘的体重指数(Body Mass Index,BMI)应在18-25之间,女性空乘的标准则是在18-22之间。
Aviation expert Kapil Kaul told the BBC: "An overweight crew is a signal the airline is not fit. You need a smart friendly agile crew that can complement the image of the airline."
航空专家卡皮尔·库尔向BBC表示:“空乘超重的话,意味着这个航空公司也不专业。你需要的是聪明、友好又敏捷的乘务人员,能为公司形象锦上添花。”
However, national union leader Tapan Sen denied that service rules mention any firm weight restriction for cabin crew.
然而,印度国家工会主席塔潘·森(Tapan Sen)否认服务规定中对机组人员的体重提出过任何限制。
This is not the first time Air India has grounded staff over weight issues. In 2009, it dismissed nine hostesses for being "overweight" on safety grouds saying their shape could "impair agility".
这已经不是印度航空第一次因为员工超重而让他们停飞了。在2009年,它曾就因“超重”而解雇了九名空姐,称她们的体型导致“行动不够灵活”。
In 2004, the airline landed itself in further controversy when it said that potential air hostesses and stewards should not have any scars, acne, or any major marks on the face.
在2004年,该公司因为要求空姐、空哥脸上不能有任何伤疤、粉刺或大块斑痕而陷入舆论争议的中心。