Airline wants to ban beards on pilots - due to safety concerns

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• Qantas is planning a general ban on beards for all pilots due to possible problems with oxygen masks.
• Some crews are fighting back and point to studies that show no safety disadvantage for beard wearers.
• International airlines handle the issue differently, from strict rules to more relaxed regulations.

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An unusual dispute is brewing at the Australian airline Qantas: it's not about wages or flight schedules, but about facial hair.

While the airline's long-haul pilots have long been obliged to have a clean-shaven face, the crews of the regional subsidiary QantasLink were previously allowed to wear beards. This is now to end, as theAerotelegraphreports.

The basis for the planned new regulation is a report by the consultancy firm Qinetiq. This came to the conclusion that beards could impair the effectiveness of oxygen masks. "The risk of a mask not fitting properly is too serious to ignore," according to an internal letter quoted by The Australian newspaper. The airline therefore wants to enforce uniform requirements for all pilots.

However, the decision is causing resistance. Some regional pilots have demonstratively grown beards. They point to recent studies that contradict the safety concerns. For example, a study published in 2024 by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University showed no evidence that beard wearers would be less protected in an emergency.

No uniform regulation

Back in 2018, a study conducted by Simon Fraser University on behalf of Air Canada came to a similar conclusion. Air Canada then permitted well-groomed beards up to a length of 1.25 centimetres.

Internationally, there is no uniform regulation. Airlines such as Virgin Australia, Emirates and Etihad allow beards in the cockpit, while many US airlines enforce a ban. Lufthansa is also tolerant and allows well-groomed beards. Fire stations are similarly strict as Qantas - firefighters usually have to be clean-shaven to ensure the tightness of breathing apparatus.

In Australia itself, the air force relaxed its beard ban in 2022 in order to appear more modern and inclusive. However, Qantas is likely to find it more difficult to point to this step when justifying its ban.