Starting today, May 23rd, select British Airways employees will begin wearing the long-awaited new uniforms. The professionally designed uniforms will be toted by 5,000 of the airline's ground, engineering, and maintenance personnel. These employees are only the first to receive the uniforms, as airport and cabin crews will receive their new uniforms later this summer. The airline anticipates that the uniforms will be well-liked by its personnel as they have been specifically designed for comfort and functionality with each role in mind.

Custom ground uniforms

Across the aviation industry, ground workers can be seen wearing brightly colored reflective vests. This tends to be the only article of clothing they wear specifically designed for the task at hand. However, British Airways is looking to change this by introducing a new line of uniforms that are not only designed to create uniformity between workers but are also designed to enhance productivity.

The basic uniforms released today feature extra tool pockets and detachable tool belts to help workers carry more tools and other equipment safely. British Airways has also released a new fleece-lined reflective waterproof jacket designed to keep ground personnel dry, warm, and safe on the ramp. The uniform designs are inspired by the airline's heritage, as is the rest of the airline's new apparel collection.

Famous master tailor Ozwald Boateng and fashion designer Ghanaian Saville Row have designed the entire collection. These two artists have worked with British Airways for over four years to create these pieces. They have shadowed airline workers in every job to ensure that the finished products are functional and fashionable in their intended role. Following the job shadows, the artists and their teams got to work on the uniforms. Upon completion, the uniforms underwent secret trials to ensure that they worked as intended in the field.

After several years the artists now have the incredible opportunity to see the fruits of their labors put to use being worn by thousands of airline employees. The Chief Operating Officer at British Airways, René de Groot, stated the following concerning the new uniforms,

"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. 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."

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First of several uniform roll-outs

The rolling out of the new uniforms to today's personnel has been a major feat for the airline that has not introduced new uniforms in 20 years. The airline ordered over 128,000 pieces of clothing for just the ground, maintenance, and engineering teams. The airline has collected the clothing for the past several months in preparation for this release. It is still receiving deliveries of the rest of the uniforms its plans to launch this year.

British Airways plans to distribute new uniforms to over 30,000 employees by September. The next employees to receive new uniforms include airport customer service staff, pilots, and flight attendants. The airline plans to roll out 20 different uniform pieces, all professionally designed to fit a specific function.

What do you think of these new uniforms? Let us know in the comments below.

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  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom