Virgin Atlantic bans uniform choice on Qatar flight amid safety concerns

Virgin Atlantic has backtracked on its gender-neutral uniform policy for crew on board a flight to the World Cup in Qatar.

The airline launched an updated gender identity policy in September, giving its crew, pilots and ground team the option to choose which of its uniforms best represented them, regardless of gender.

However, a spokesperson for the airline told BBC News that staff on board the England team’s flight to Doha on Tuesday would not be able to choose their uniform.

The spokesperson said the airline’s gender-neutral uniform policy would be rolled out in “more accepting” countries “on a case-by-case basis to ensure the safety and security of our people and customers at all times”.

“Initially the UK, US and Israel are the territories where the uniform policy is being rolled out for our people, as those countries are more accepting of non-binary identities allowing more self-expression,” they said.

The airline said the plane used would display an LGBTQI+ icon instead.

The airline does not usually operate in Qatar but was used for the six-hour charter flight from Birmingham to Qatar.

This year’s FIFA World Cup has drawn attention to human rights issues in Qatar, particularly its treatment of LGBTQI+ people.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, though host authorities have said there will be no restrictions on LGBT+ couples staying in the same room.

Many football teams, including the Socceroos, have spoken out against Qatar’s stance on the LGBTQI+ community and called on the country to decriminalise same-sex relationships.