Airline threatens to ground overweight staff Associated Press in New Delhi

Air India has told its 1,600 cabin crew to lose weight or face being grounded. Overweight pilots and flight attendants have been given two months to shape up, said officials.

The airline says other carriers follow similar guidelines on fitness and that its own rules have been applied for months, although it admits there is a push to alter perceptions that its cabin staff are tired and inefficient.

The carrier did not say what constituted "overweight" or if any staff had been grounded. But a spokesman said: "Imagine if crew members can't fasten their seat belts, how can they fly?"