President Kovind’s daughter taken off air-hostess duty

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind's daughter Swati, who was an air hostess with national carrier Air India, has been assigned ground duties because of security reasons, according to the airline's spokesperson. Swati, who doesn't use a surname, was a cabin crew on Air India's long-haul Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 flights, but for nearly a month now she has been deputed with Air India's integration department at the airline's headquarters in New Delhi, the official told PTI. The department oversees human resource integration of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India since their merger in 2007. "As a President's daughter, I don't think she can fly as a crew with security personnel around. It is not possible to block so many passenger seats," an airline source explained. Swati was one of the finest cabin crew members, TOI quoted senior pilots as saying. "We will miss having her on the flights but we kind of knew that as the president's daughter she may not return as an air hostess due to security considerations," said a B-787 commander. Swati doesn't even use her surname. When she applied for leave earlier this year, she didn't even mention that her father is contesting for the President's post, the report said. (With inputs from agencies)