The table: what each airline actually publishes
Cabin crew requirements are the most copied and least checked numbers on the internet. Below is one table, and every cell in it is either a quotation from an official airline page with the date we read it, or the words "not published on the page we read". The pages are the Emirates cabin crew page, the Etihad cabin crew page, the Qatar Airways cabin crew recruitment page, the Air India Cabin Crew Programme page, the IndiGo careers page and the Akasa Air careers page. No cell is filled from a prep site, a forum or a coaching institute. The short version: Emirates wants you at least 21, at least 160 cm tall and able to reach 212 cm, Grade 12, fluent in written and spoken English, with a year of hospitality or customer service experience and no tattoos visible in uniform. Etihad wants 21 at application, 163 cm, Grade 12 or equivalent, fluent in English written and spoken, no visible tattoos and no covering them. Air India wants an Indian passport, age 18 to 27 for freshers (35 with experience), Class 12 with 50 per cent, 155 cm for women and 170 cm for men, BMI 18 to 22 for women and 18 to 25 for men, and 6/6 vision. Qatar Airways lists, on its recruitment page read in a browser on 21 October 2026, a 212 cm arm reach, at least 10 years of formal education, fluent written and spoken English, excellent health and fitness and the ability to relocate to Doha, with two or more years of service experience preferred rather than required; it publishes no age or height. IndiGo and Akasa published no requirement rows on the pages we read.
| Requirement | Emirates (emiratesgroupcareers.com, read 21 Oct 2026) | Etihad (careers.etihad.com, read 21 Oct 2026) | Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com recruitment page, browser, 21 Oct 2026) | Air India (cabincrewcareers.airindia.com, browser, 20 Oct 2026) | IndiGo (goindigo.in/careers.html, browser, 20 Oct 2026) | Akasa Air (akasaair.com/careers, 21 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | "At least 21 years old" | "Minimum age of 21 at the time of application" | not published on the page we read | 18 (freshers) | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Maximum age | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | 27 for freshers; 35 with experience | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Height | "At least 160cm tall" | "Minimum height of 163 cm" | not published on the page we read | 155 cm women; 170 cm men | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Reach | "able to reach 212cm high" | not published on the page we read | "Minimum arm reach of 212 cm." | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| BMI | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | 18 to 22 women; 18 to 25 men | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Vision | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | 6/6 | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Education | "A minimum of high school (Grade 12) education" | "High school graduate (Grade 12 or equivalent)" | "At least 10 years of formal education." | Class 12 with 50 per cent | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| English | "Fluent in written and spoken English (additional languages are an advantage)" | "Fluent in English, written and spoken" | "Fluent in written and spoken English." | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Experience | "At least 1 year of hospitality or customer service experience" | not published on the page we read | "Preferably 2+ years of experience in hospitality, customer service, aviation, or another customer-facing role." (listed under "What will help you succeed", not as essential) | Freshers accepted; experience raises the age ceiling | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Tattoos | "No visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform" | "No visible tattoos while wearing the Etihad cabin crew uniform (cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted)" | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Nationality or visa | "Able to meet the UAE's employment visa requirements"; once selected, "Emirates will handle all the work permit and visa processing on your behalf" | not published on the page we read | "Ability to relocate to Doha, Qatar." | Indian passport | not published on the page we read | not published on the page we read |
| Other | "A natural team player with a personality that shines" | Attitude list, e.g. "Comfortable working irregular hours on a roster basis", "Committed to onboard safety and strict adherence to procedures" | "Excellent health and physical fitness." | not published on the page we read | Cabin Crew department and a Hiring Events section listed | Inflight Services hiring tile; "We do not charge fees or deposits from job seekers." |
Two notes on the blanks. The Air India and IndiGo pages time out for ordinary fetchers, so our rows are from a browser read on 20 October 2026 and were not re-checked this week; the Qatar Airways recruitment page returns 403 to our fetcher, so its column is from a browser read on 21 October 2026, and its careers portal page carries only a one-line introduction. We re-read all six pages weekly and the official resources page shows each link's current status. If a drive is this week, open the page yourself; the cell tells you what was true on the date shown, not today.
Age: 18 at Air India, 21 at the Gulf carriers
The age rows are the clearest difference between the Indian and the Gulf route, and they decide the order in which a young applicant should apply. Air India's floor is 18 and its ceiling for freshers is 27, rising to 35 with experience (programme page, read 20 October 2026). Emirates says "At least 21 years old" and publishes no ceiling; Etihad says "Minimum age of 21 at the time of application" and publishes no ceiling (both read 21 October 2026). So a candidate of 19 or 20 with Class 12 can apply to Air India now, build the year of customer service experience Emirates asks for while flying or working, and apply to the Gulf carriers at 21. A candidate of 28 is outside the Air India fresher band on the page we read but inside the published Gulf age rules.
Note the Etihad wording: "at the time of application". If you turn 21 next month, apply next month, not today. And note what is absent: no Gulf page we read gives a maximum age. Prep sites that print one are guessing or quoting an old posting.
Height and reach: 160, 163, 155 and 170 cm, and the 212 cm line
Four published heights and two published reach figures. Emirates: "At least 160cm tall and able to reach 212cm high". Etihad: "Minimum height of 163 cm". Air India: 155 cm for women and 170 cm for men. Qatar Airways: no height, but "Minimum arm reach of 212 cm." (browser read, 21 October 2026). IndiGo and Akasa: nothing on the pages we read.
Why Emirates publishes a reach and not just a height
Our reading, not an airline's: overhead lockers and emergency equipment sit at a fixed height, so what matters on board is whether you can reach them, not how tall you are standing still. That would explain why Emirates' 160 cm is the lowest Gulf height on this page but comes with the 212 cm condition, and why Qatar Airways publishes the same 212 cm reach and no height at all. The page does not say how the reach is measured. Candidates report a marked line on a wall at an assessment day, touched with one hand, shoes off, tiptoes allowed; that is a report, not Emirates wording. Try it at home: measure 212 cm up a wall, mark it, stand flat and then on tiptoe. If you cannot reach it, you know before you travel.
Air India's two heights
Air India is the only airline on this page to publish separate figures for women (155 cm) and men (170 cm), per the programme page read on 20 October 2026. Measure yourself without shoes, standing straight against a wall, before you travel to a drive. The page publishes no reach figure.
Education and experience: Grade 12, 50 per cent, one year of service
Education is close to uniform: Emirates "A minimum of high school (Grade 12) education"; Etihad "High school graduate (Grade 12 or equivalent)"; Qatar Airways "At least 10 years of formal education."; Air India Class 12 with 50 per cent. The Air India row is the only one with a mark attached, and it is a mark in Class 12, not in graduation. A degree is not required by any page we read, though many candidates have one.
Experience splits the airlines. Emirates asks for "At least 1 year of hospitality or customer service experience". Etihad's page lists attitudes rather than a tenure ("A genuine passion for people, travel and new experiences", "Adaptable to fast-paced, ever-changing environments", "Able to work effectively within diverse, multicultural teams") and no experience row. Qatar Airways puts experience under "What will help you succeed": "Preferably 2+ years of experience in hospitality, customer service, aviation, or another customer-facing role." Air India accepts freshers and rewards experience only through the age ceiling. For a first-time job seeker, the honest reading is this: Air India and Etihad are open now, Qatar Airways states experience as a preference rather than a rule, and Emirates expects a year of real customer-facing work first. "Customer service" is wider than hotels: a shop floor, a restaurant, a call centre, a hospital front desk, airport ground staff, a bank branch or a year of tutoring all involve serving people under time pressure. Describe it in the CV as service, with numbers (customers a day, complaints handled), not as a job title.
English: the exact wording per airline, and what fluent means on the day
Here are the only English requirements published on the pages we read, verbatim. Emirates: "Fluent in written and spoken English (additional languages are an advantage)". Etihad: "Fluent in English, written and spoken". Qatar Airways: "Fluent in written and spoken English." (browser read, 21 October 2026). Air India, IndiGo and Akasa: no English requirement on the pages we read. No page names IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or a CEFR level. No page gives a test length or a pass mark. Treat any site that tells you "you need IELTS 6" or "B2 is required" as unsourced.
What "fluent" means in practice is decided on the day, and the two Gulf pages tell you where. Emirates: at the assessment you "take an online test at the venue"; Etihad: you "complete aptitude and English language assessments". Candidates describe the written part as a short grammar, vocabulary and reading screen; our 60-question practice set is built to that shape, with the level estimate labelled as ours. The spoken part is never called a test. It is the two sentences at registration, the group exercise and the final interview, and by every account it is where most of the day's decisions are made. The assessment day stages page walks through where each of those moments falls.
A working definition of fluent for this job (TalkDrill's, not an airline's)
You can introduce yourself in two minutes without notes. You can tell a story about a difficult customer in correct past tenses. You can disagree with a stranger politely in a group and build on their point. You can read a safety announcement aloud at a steady pace so that a nervous passenger understands every word. You can ask a clarifying question when you have not understood, instead of guessing. None of that needs a certificate. All of it can be practised in a fortnight, daily, with the AI mock interview, the AI group discussion and the read-aloud scorer.
Tattoos, visa, passport, BMI and vision
Tattoos
Both Gulf pages publish the rule. Emirates: "No visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform". Etihad: "No visible tattoos while wearing the Etihad cabin crew uniform (cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted)". The test is visibility in uniform, so think about short sleeves, open collars and hands. Etihad's bracket closes the common workaround: no make-up and no plasters. The Indian carrier pages we read publish nothing on tattoos; candidates report a similar visible-in-uniform rule at screening, unverified.
Visa and passport
Emirates lists "Able to meet the UAE's employment visa requirements", and adds: "Once you're selected, we've got you covered! Emirates will handle all the work permit and visa processing on your behalf." The page does not list what the requirements are; they are a matter of UAE law and of your own passport and record, and we do not summarise them here. Air India lists an Indian passport, which rules out foreign nationals. Carry the passport itself to a drive. Qatar Airways lists "Ability to relocate to Doha, Qatar." Etihad, IndiGo and Akasa publish nothing on nationality on the pages we read.
BMI and vision
Air India is the only airline on this page to publish a BMI range (18 to 22 for women, 18 to 25 for men) and a vision standard (6/6). BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres: a 160 cm, 55 kg candidate is 55 divided by 2.56, which is 21.5. Work it out tonight; candidates report it is measured at the medical and sometimes at screening. The rows we read do not say whether 6/6 may be corrected with lenses or glasses; ask at the drive. None of the three Gulf pages we read gives a BMI or vision figure. The Emirates FAQ says that before joining you complete "a self-declaration medical form" and a dental form, and that further medicals after joining are "required for residence visa and also to comply with GCAA requirements"; Qatar Airways lists "Excellent health and physical fitness."; Etihad's page does not mention a medical. We do not state medical standards we have not read.
A ten-minute self-check before you apply, and a practice route
Written by TalkDrill. Do it with the table above open and a tape measure to hand. It saves a wasted day and, for an invite-only event, a wasted invitation.
| Check | Emirates | Etihad | Air India | Your figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age today | 21 or over | 21 or over at application | 18 to 27 (35 with experience) | |
| Height, barefoot | 160 cm or over | 163 cm or over | 155 cm women; 170 cm men | |
| Reach, one hand, tiptoe | 212 cm | not published | not published | |
| Class 12 | completed | completed or equivalent | completed with 50 per cent | |
| Service experience | 1 year or more | not published | not required for freshers | |
| Tattoos visible in short sleeves or open collar | none | none, no covering | not published | |
| BMI | not published | not published | 18 to 22 women; 18 to 25 men | |
| Passport | UAE visa eligibility | not published | Indian passport | |
| English, two-minute introduction without notes | fluent | fluent | not published; judged on the day |
If every row holds, apply the same day: the Gulf carrier process page and the Indian carrier process page show what happens next, and the open days and events page lists the events we have read on the airline pages, with the date we read them, checked weekly. Then spend the time between application and the day on the one requirement that is tested rather than measured: two timed written sets from the English test practice page, a daily group discussion, and three STAR stories rehearsed aloud with the question bank in our cabin crew interview questions in English post. The cabin crew English hub holds the 21-day plan and the current verified date for every figure on this page.