07 March,2015 07:20 AM IST | | Neha LM Tripathi
By the end of March, Air Indias red, white and black uniforms will be replaced by mustard ensembles designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, developed at a cost of Rs 8 cr
An Air India letter stated that female cabin crew will be given two sarees (centre), along with four blouse pieces, while male crew (right) will be given material for shirts and trousers, along with ties. Sources said, other uniform designs such as kurtis
Plagued by financial and operational problems, the Air India could soon inject some fresh energy into its operations with its new crew uniforms set to be introduced this month.
An Air India letter stated that female cabin crew will be given two sarees centre, along with four blouse pieces, while male crew right will be given material for shirts and trousers, along with ties. Sources said, other uniform designs such as kurtis and shirts for women will also be distributed to staff in time
By the end of this month, the national carrier's crewmembers will have exchanged their trademark red, white and black outfits for mustard ensembles designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology and developed at the cost of Rs 8 crore.
It should be noted that the proposal for new uniforms came up in early 2014, and a tender was issued in July 2014. While the uniforms were to be introduced by October last year, Air India is finally making the change now. An official letter dated March 4 mid-day has a copy stated that the distribution will commence for crewmembers in Delhi and Mumbai on March 5 and 10 for women and men respectively, who will don the new uniforms on March 28.
The letter further stated that initially the female cabin crew would be issued with two sarees and four blouse material pieces, while the male cabin crew would be issued shirt/trouser material and ties. The uniform will be distributed to the staff as and when the material maintenance department of the airline receives supply from the vendor.
A senior official said that the uniforms would be revealed to the board of directors on March 9, with a fashion show of sorts, wherein select crewmembers will don the uniforms and walk the ramp. "Air India is having a trial display of the uniform on Monday. The airline is bringing in a DJ from Hyderabad and is paying him R2.5 lakh," said the official. Despite attempts to contact the airline, the spokesperson was not available for comment.
