Virgin Atlantic flight attendants, pilots, and ground staff can now wear any uniform regardless of their gender

• Virgin Atlantic airlines announced that its flight staff may now wear any uniform they wish.
• Previously, uniforms fell into either a "male" or "female" category.

On Wednesday, Virgin Atlantic announced it eliminated its gendered uniforms. Now, staff can wear any Virgin Atlantic uniform they wish, regardless of their gender.

According to CNN, the uniforms previously fell under the category of "male" or "female." As of Wednesday, these categories no longer exist, CNN reported.

"The policy, effective today, champions the individuality of Virgin Atlantic's people by enabling them to wear the clothing that expresses how they identify or present themselves," the airline said in a statement sent to Insider.

The airline's uniforms, which were designed by Vivienne Westwood, haven't changed and include options like a red skirt and burgundy pants.

With the announcement, the airline said it's also introducing optional pronoun badges for airline staff and travelers and mandatory inclusivity training for staff, according to the statement.

The airline said it's also updated its ticketing system to include gender-neutral titles. Travelers may now choose a gender-neutral code of "U" or "X" on their booking and the gender-neutral title of "Mx.," the statement said. However, the codes must match the documents a person is traveling with, such as a passport.

"It's so important that we enable our people to embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work," Juha Järvinen, Virgin Atlantic's chief commercial officer, said in a press release. "It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns."

The changes are part of cementing Virgin Atlantic "as the most inclusive airline in the skies," the statement said.

This isn't the first change the airline has made to its policies. This May, the airline removed a ban that prohibits cabin crew from having visible arm and leg tattoos, Insider previously reported. A ban on neck, head, and facial tattoos remains for flight attendants and cabin crew as well as a ban on tattoos that contain swear words and references to nudity, violence, and culturally offensive symbols.

In 2019, Virgin Atlantic was the first major international airline to drop its makeup requirement for female cabin crew and allowed women to wear pants and flat shoes as part of their uniform, Insider reported at the time.