Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has issued a memo to approximately 1,800 cabin crew members, warning them that those found to be more than 30lbs (2st 2lbs) over the weight limit from 31 January will be grounded. The excess weight limit will then be reduced by 5lbs each month, according to CNN.
The memo states: “Any crew found above 30lbs from the desired weight after 31 January 2019 will be grounded and referred to Air Crew Medical Center for medical evaluation and treatment until weight is reduced up to desired standard/BMI.” The airline has provided charts dictating acceptable weight based on height; for example, women of 5ft 7in are given a weight range of 133-147lbs (9st 7lbs-10st 7lbs).
Crew already “on weight check” must report to a monthly “grooming cell” before receiving clearance to fly. A PIA spokesperson told CNN that the new rules will affect around 100 crew members, or 5 per cent of staff. “No one would like to have shabby crew in the aircraft,” he said, adding that the crackdown was a “regular, routine matter” to ensure crew are “slim, smart and fit”.
The airline claims it has received complaints about “obese” flight attendants over the past year, and says the weight reduction is about both appearance and health. This is not the first such instance; in 2015, Air India grounded around 130 cabin crew—mostly women—for being “overweight”, citing safety concerns and government regulations. Critics at the time branded the move “ridiculous”, with aviation consultant Mark Martin calling it “immature, misogynistic and shockingly sexist”. However, an Air India official defended the policy, saying “people who are fitter can respond quicker and more efficiently in case of any untoward situation”.
