Cabin crew requirements for Indian applicants explained: height, education, English, passport and which airlines hire from India
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#1 IndiGo Bangalore, two years, and I get the same questions from cousins and college juniors every month, so here is the Indian applicant version of the requirements, domestic and international, as they actually apply in 2026.
Indian carriers
IndiGo, Air India, Akasa, SpiceJet, Vistara (now merged into Air India) all recruit regularly. Typical requirements: age 18 to 27 at IndiGo for freshers (a bit higher for experienced crew), 155 cm minimum height for women and 170 for men at most, 10+2 as minimum education with a degree preferred at Air India, fluent English and Hindi, a valid Indian passport, no visible tattoos, and the BMI within range. The medical is the DGCA class 2 style medical and it is thorough. IndiGo also runs a written test and a group discussion at the assessment.
The Gulf carriers from India
Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Saudia and now Riyadh Air all hold events in Indian cities. Requirements: 21 minimum age at Emirates and Qatar, 212 cm reach, 10+2 minimum with a degree helping, fluent English, no visible tattoos, and a passport with well over a year of validity. Indian candidates are one of the largest groups in Gulf cabins and the events are large and competitive. Hindi and the regional languages are useful on the India routes and the recruiters know it.
Singapore Airlines and Cathay
SIA recruits from India in regional sessions. Height minimum applies (158 for women). A degree or diploma. The competition is intense because the SIA name in India is huge. Cathay recruits Indian nationals occasionally for the India routes.
The passport question
An Indian passport means visas for almost everywhere. The airline handles the crew visas for the routes, but if you are doing a Gulf assessment abroad you need your own entry visa. Make sure the passport has two blank pages and 18 months validity before any event.
English
The Gulf and Asian recruiters can tell the difference between school English and used English. Watch English television without subtitles for three months before the event. Speak English at home for the month before. The written tests are fine for most Indian graduates; the spoken part is where people lose it.
Education
The 10+2 minimum is real at the Gulf carriers and the Indian carriers. A degree helps at Air India and SIA and is neutral at the Gulf carriers, where hospitality experience matters more.
The honest domestic versus Gulf comparison
Indian carrier pay is a livable Indian salary and you live at home. Gulf pay is three to five times that in hard currency with accommodation, and you are far from home under a set of rules. Most of my base is applying to the Gulf. Most of them will go if they get in. Some come back after three years with savings and are happier at home. It is a real choice and not a shameful one either way.
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#2 Indian carrier, Bangalore, and the 'used English versus school English' point is the whole thing at the Gulf events. My Qatar recruiter told me after that half the room had the grammar and a quarter had the conversation.
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#3 Delhi, and the passport validity point catches people at every Indian event. Eighteen months, two blank pages, or the desk sends you home before the queue has moved.
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#4 Qatar from Delhi, and I came back to say the 'not a shameful choice either way' line is right. My batch mate went home to Air India after three years with a flat paid for. She is happy. So am I, in Doha. Two right answers.