Virgin Atlantic has ditched its gender-neutral uniform policy for its team flying the England squad on a ‘Gay Pride’ jet to the Qatar World Cup amid concerns for their safety.
The airliner said it worried the crew on today’s Three Lions’ flight to Doha could be at jeopardy persecution from strict Qatari authorities if they were found to be wearing the new LGBT-friendly outfits.
Virgin had previously announced a new ‘fluid approach’ to uniforms in September, in which the travel giant said staff could choose what clothes their wear ‘no matter their gender‘.
But a spokeswoman has this evening told MailOnline that cabin crew on Tuesday’s flight would have no choice on their uniforms following a risk assessment.
‘The safety and security of our people and customers is always our top priority,’ the official told MailOnline.
‘As part of our policy, we complete a risk assessment on all countries we fly to, considering laws and attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community and expressions of identity on a case-by-case basis.
‘Following a risk assessment, it was recommended the policy was not applied on today’s charter flight to ensure the safety of our people.’
Qatar has faced a barrage of criticism over the way it treats the LGBT community.
Responding, the country has insisted all fans will be welcomed to the sporting spectacle ‘without discrimination’.
But Qatar has the most stringent homophobic laws in the world. It is illegal to be homosexual in the Gulf country and same-sex relationships can be punishable by death.
Virgin Atlantic said Qatar was not one of its normal destinations and was specially charted to fly out the England team.