US Airlines Face New Mandate on Merit-Based Hiring Amid Controversy Over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Frameworks

The Air Line Pilots Association has defended its safety record amid a new mandate from the Trump administration to ‘purge DEI from our skies’. The US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered a new mandatory ‘Operations Specification’ requiring all commercial airlines to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots. Captain Jason Ambrosi, President of the Air Line Pilots Association, defended the industry’s safety record, stating that pilots are trained and evaluated to the same uncompromising standard regardless of race, gender, or background.