Private budget airline, Go Air India, has announced that it will only be recruiting female air hostesses in an attempt to reduce on-board weight and save fuel.
By no longer hiring heavier male stewards – who, on average, weigh 33-44lbs more than their female colleagues – Go Air says that it will be able to achieve savings of around Rs30 million (US $504,000) in fuel costs per year.
The cuts have been motivated by a sharp decline in the value of the Indian rupee, which has depreciated by 27 percent against the US dollar since July 2012.
"The rupee's fall has hurt the industry badly … we are looking at every possible way of cost-cutting to remain profitable," Go Air CEO Giorgio De Roni told the Times of India.
According to De Roni, the rupee’s poor exchange rate has already cost Go Air Rs300 million (US $5m) and looks set to continue on its downward spiral.
The move to reduce weight by hiring only female air hostesses is the latest in a long line of cost-cutting exercises by the airline, which has implemented reductions in everything from water carrying capacity to the size of its in-flight magazine.
The 130 male flight attendants who are currently employed by Go Air will continue to work for the airline, but all future recruits will be female hostesses.
Go Air plans to acquire 80 aircraft over the next seven years, which will generate jobs for 2,000 air hostesses and pilots.
