By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Loss making SriLankan Airlines, the flag carrier of the country has recently recruited 106 young women as air hostesses ‘without pimples on face or marks on the midriff‘ which shows when wearing a saree, Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.
These 106 flight attendants have been selected from around 6000 young women who faced the tough interview at the BMICH in Colombo.
He said that the national airline was advised to recruit women from around the country as air hostesses.
The Minister said that several young women from around the country responded to advertisements published in the media to join SriLanka Airlines as air hostesses.
According to the Minister, several qualified women attended the interview, but some had a “small pimple” on the face or a mark on the midriff which showed when wearing a saree and they were rejected.
The criteria that have been stated doe selection were aged between 18 and 27 years by 1 August 2023; should have passed six subjects at the GCE O/Level examination, especially have at least a credit pass; fluency in English or any other foreign language would be an added advantage.
Among the the other requirements were a minimum height of 157.5 cm and a minimum of 212 cm when standing on toes; the body BMI should be at the appropriate level; and the candidate should arrive for the interview dressed in a Kandyan saree (osariya) along with a short sleeved jacket with a ‘U’ shaped back.
There’s no such thing as hiring only fair and good-looking girls as air hostesses. The criteria for choosing a Flight-Attendant has no such requirements that the girl has to be ‘good-looking’ and ‘white skin-toned.’
Airlines are seeking for Girls who are Confident, has Good Interpersonal skills, Patient, Assertive, Empathetic, Approachable, Graceful, Able to work as a Team Member.
Unfortunately Asian carriers’ suchs as SriLankan Air Lines still hold on to the belief that aesthetic values are important. Candidates are evaluated by heights and weight, then followed by skin check and deportment, a high official of the aviation ministry said.
Appearance wise: air hostesses’ should have good skin (no obvious pimples/scars) good set of teeth, obviously dental braces are not allowed. No scars on hands/legs/back of neck/exposed part of chest in uniform/face.
Healthy hair. Natural coloured hair is preferred over coloured hair.Healthy BMI. They don’t really check, as long as you are slender and fit nicely into the uniform, it’s acceptable, he said.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva claimed the women who were rejected would come crying to the Ministry saying they were not selected.
He said that his advice has been for young girls is to look after their skin, and apply creams, if they want to look good when they grow up to become an air hostess.
