Eleven employees at Indian Airways have recently been grounded for putting on too much weight. The airline which is being taken to court over the legality of firing its air hostesses for being too fat, claim that they should be able to select the ‘best ambassadors’ to represent the national airline, and the country as a whole, and will also claim that thinner employees are more agile and better equipped to tackle terrorist incidents and other emergencies.

An internal memo earlier this year warned cabin staff they would be banned from flying if random weight checks found them to be over a fixed weight, set out in a company chart. Although weight guidelines have always been in place, previously they were not rigorously enforced.

Lawyers for the cabin crew unions say that around 130 members of staff have been temporarily suspended without pay for putting on too much weight, although most are now back at work. ‘They want to discard the heavier women and bring in newer, thinner models,’ said Sheela Joshi, an air hostess who was grounded after a spot weigh-in found she was 1.9kg over the prescribed limit for her height.

So, how thin should you be to be a brand ambassador for modern India? If Kate Moss can win model of the year after her recent antics, and be a brand icon, then surely, Indian Airways can cope with some overweight air hostesses as long as they are good at their job?