USA 
United Kingdom
The Air Line Pilots Association (APA) has publicly defended its members after the Trump administration ordered commercial carriers to certify that pilot hiring is based strictly on merit and not DEI strategy.
On February 13, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, issued a mandatory Operations Specification requiring airlines to formally commit to merit-based pilot selection. Under the directive, airlines must certify that any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion approach to hiring has been terminated. Failure to comply could prompt a federal investigation.
The order follows Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025 and a broader administrative push against DEI frameworks.
FAA mandate reshapes hiring compliance
Duffy framed the measure as a safety and transparency issue.
“When families board their aircraft, they should fly with confidence knowing the pilot behind the controls is the best of the best. The American people don’t care what their pilot looks like or their gender - they just care that they are most qualified man or woman for the job. Safety drives everything we do, and this commonsense measure will increase transparency between passengers and airlines,” he said.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford reinforced that position.
“At the FAA, the safety of passengers is our number one priority. It is a bare minimum expectation for airlines to hire the most qualified individual when making someone responsible for hundreds of lives at a time. Someone’s race, sex, or creed, has nothing to do with their ability to fly and land aircraft safely,” Bedford said.
The FAA stated that it had “dismantled DEI offices and contracts, and revised absurd Biden-Buttigieg era directives that wasted time renaming cockpits to flight decks, allegations of airlines hiring based on race and sex remain”.
Union defends training standards
Captain Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, responded by emphasizing uniform training and evaluation standards across the profession.
“All ALPA pilots are trained and evaluated to the same uncompromising standard regardless of race, gender, or background. A pilot’s identity has no bearing on their ability to safely operate an aircraft. What matters is training, experience, and qualification - and on that front, there are no shortcuts and no compromises,” Ambrosi said.
He added: “At ALPA, our work to advance aviation safety never stops, and as always, ALPA airline pilots remain ready to safely transport passengers and cargo to their destinations. Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority.”
Airlines must now formally attest that merit alone governs pilot hiring decisions, while union leadership maintains that standardized evaluation processes already ensure qualification remains the decisive factor.
