Virgin Atlantic has announced that it is swapping its Flying Lady for an entirely new set of “Flying Icons.” Aimed at showcasing the diversity of modern Britain and the carrier’s hopes to offer a more inclusive employment environment, these new figures will be featured on craft beginning this year.
She may have been part and parcel of the carrier’s livery for decades, but Virgin Atlantic is bidding goodbye to its famous Flying Lady and ushering in a new set of five “Flying Icons” to be painted on its fleet of Airbus A350-1000 craft. This change, the carrier explained in a blog post, is intended to better reflect its aspirations to offer a more diverse and inclusive environment.
Craft will begin to feature these new figures this year, with the changeover completed by 2021. Virgin states that these “Flying Icons, “…are a diverse range of men and women representing modern Britain…”.
In the blog post, the carrier said, “This move represents a big change for us following our pledge to tackle our gender pay gap and increase diversity and inclusion across the business, and this is mirrored in the look and feel of the brand. We’re aiming to have a 50:50 gender balance in leadership roles, as well as at least 12 percent black, Asian and minority ethnic group (BAME) representation across the company, by 2022.”
Offering her comments, Nikki Humphrey, Virgin’s senior vice president of people, said, “The saying goes ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ and that has never been truer than the aviation industry’s glamorous image in the past.”
“By introducing our new Flying Icons I hope it encourages people from all backgrounds to feel at home flying with us, but also working with us,” she added.
[Image Source: Virgin Atlantic]
