Overweight airhostess moves Delhi high court against termination order

New Delhi: An airhostess has approached Delhi High Court challenging erstwhile India Airlines' decision to sack her for being "overweight".

The airline (Now known as National Aviation Company of India Ltd) had last year terminated the services of the petitioner along with 10 other "overweight" air hostesses.

The petitioner, Sangita Garb (46), who served the airlines for 25 years, pleaded with the court to set aside the termination order as it is "violative" of her fundamental rights.

"The order of dispensing of the services by the authority is without application of mind, illegal, arbitrary and contrary to the services regulations and standing orders and therefore untenable in law or liable to be set-aside," advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma, appearing for the petitioner, contended.

Justice SN Aggarwal, after hearing his plea issued a notice to the Airlines and asked it to file its response by January 22 when the matter would be taken up for further hearing.

The airhostess pleaded that under the garb of the terms contained in the appointment letter, Indian Airlines, which has now merged into Air India, was trying to terminate the services on the ground of their being overweight.

Justifying its action, the airlines had said these airhostesses were sacked as they were declared medically unfit to fly by a medical board and they refused to accept alternative ground jobs offered to them.

The rules prescribe different weight limits according to their height and age. For an 18-year-old airhostess with a height of 152cm, the maximum weight permissible is 50 kg while for an air-hostess in the age group of 26 to 30 and a height of 152cm, the weight limit is 56 kg.