British Airways Begins Phased Rollout of New Uniforms

Dark/Light Mode (26/05/23)  British Airways has started rolling out its new uniforms, with more than 5,000 employees working in the airline’s engineering, maintenance and airport operations teams the first to wear them.

The uniform, designed by British, Ghanaian Saville Row fashion designer and master tailor, Ozwald Boateng OBE, will be worn by more than 30,000 staff by the end of the year.

The next stage of the rollout will include British Airways’ cabin crew, pilots and customer facing colleagues in September of this year.

More than 128,000 garment items have been ordered by British Airways’ operational ground colleagues, with the new wardrobe offering more choices than ever before.

British Airways' new uniform for its ground teams

The entire operational collection offers more than 20 unique garments and was developed over a five-year period, with more than 1,500 staff across the airline volunteering their time to help shape the look and feel.

During the design process, Boateng shadowed different airport roles to understand each role’s requirements and ensure the suitability of the designs. Then, once developed, the garments were put to the test with secret trials, including deluge showers and freezers at -18 degrees Celsius to ensure water resistance and durability.

“This uniform has been multiple years in the making, and colleagues are genuinely excited to wear the collection, which they’re calling a step change from the previous garments, offering much more practicality,” said René de Groot, British Airways’ Chief Operating Officer. “I’m delighted that airport operations, cargo, engineering and maintenance colleagues across our airports and bases worldwide will be the first to transition into the new designs.”

As British Airways’ operational ground teams begin to wear their new uniform, they will hand back the old one, which will be donated to chosen charities or recycled.

The airline is still exploring multiple options for recycling the garments, including creating a sustainable range of merchandise and gifting certain items to the British Airways Heritage Centre.

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