Air India is set to introduce a health and fitness policy for its cabin crew, with Body Mass Index (BMI) playing a key role in determining who stays on duty and who faces action.

Under the new system, a BMI between 18 and 24.9 will be treated as the “normal” and “desired range”. Those below 18 will be marked “underweight”, while a BMI between 25 and 29.9 will fall under “overweight”.

A BMI of 30 or above will be marked “obese” and considered outside acceptable limits. “A reading of 30 or above is ‘obese’ and not an acceptable range.”

Cabin crew who fall in the underweight or overweight categories may be taken off the roster and asked to go through a functional assessment. If they fail to clear it, they could be placed on loss of pay until they meet the required standards.

For those in the obese category, action will be more immediate. “The immediate action will include derostering and loss of pay.” They will be required to bring their BMI within the acceptable range within a set period to return to duty.

The policy allows some flexibility in certain cases. A BMI below 18 “may be acceptable subject to clearing of medical evaluation and functional assessment.” Similarly, those in the overweight bracket can continue flying if they pass the functional assessment.

The policy will come into effect from May 1 and will apply to both existing cabin crew and trainees. Air India has said the move is aimed at building awareness around health and fitness before stricter standards are rolled out.

“The current policy, in the interim, serves as a preparatory measure before the policy with enhanced fitness standards is implemented,” the airline said.

The changes come at a time when Air India, now under the Tata Group after its acquisition in January 2022, is working through broader internal reforms.