Hair force: Qantas beard ban sparks global study row about what’s safer for pilots

Qantas faces international backlash over its push to ban beards across its pilot workforce, with US experts challenging the airline's safety claims.

Qantas wants to extend a ‘no beard’ policy at the main line airline to QantasLink, where pilots are currently allowed to sport facial hair. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

Qantas’ pursuit of a beard ban across its pilot cohort has triggered an international dispute between the airline’s UK consultants and the author of a respected US study about the safety of facial hair.

Although Qantas mainline and Jetstar pilots must adhere to the requirement to present for work clean-shaven, QantasLink pilots are currently permitted to sport neat beards on the job.

In an effort to introduce one standard for all, Qantas commissioned aeromedical consultancy QinetiQ to examine the issues associated with beards, telling pilots it was “about safety not grooming”.

QinetiQ concluded pilots’ facial hair could interfere with the seal of oxygen masks, “reducing their effectiveness when they’re needed most”.

The findings were at odds with a 2024 study by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, which found no evidence facial hair caused mask leaks, hypoxia or chemicals to affect pilot performance.

After learning of the QinetiQ report, Embry-Riddle University professor John French shared a detailed rebuttal of the findings with Qantas, highlighting “multiple inconsistencies and flawed assumptions”.

These included a heavy reliance on decades-old studies that used non-aviation masks or were conducted in industrial or military settings quite dissimilar to modern flight decks.

Professor French pointed out the QinetiQ report “failed to consider advancements in mask technology, real-world operational practices, and comparable risks posed by other personal factors” including the use of eyeglasses.

“Spectacle use, ignored by their risk matrix, is arguably more prevalent and introduces larger seal breaks,” Professor French said.

In response to the critique, Qantas asked QinetiQ to review the Embry-Riddle study.

The consultants replied there were “limitations” to the study, and took the extraordinary step of writing to the journal which published the university’s findings to raise their concerns.

Qantas is now reviewing pilots’ responses to consultation undertaken on the subject, with a final decision expected in coming weeks.

Clean-shaven Qantas pilots at Sydney Airport. Picture: Liam Mendes

The move has created much discussion on pilots’ forums, with one pilot expressing the view the issue was “bigger than beards”.

“It is indicative of an arrogant Qantas management who always feel they know best and enjoy lecturing all who will listen,” said one in a pilot’s forum.

“Every week I get ‘fake’ phish emails to educate me about online security at a time when Qantas allowed the widespread theft of customer details.

“I get weekly missives from (chief executive Vanessa) Hudson about reconciliation and our positive discrimination practices to address it. Just give me the tools to do my job properly.”

The Australian and International Pilots Association also raised concerns about what the proposed “beard ban” said about current management.

A submission penned by AIPA president Andrew Marshall and safety and technical director Steven Cornell questioned how the “safety-critical issue of facial hair was assessed at an executive level”.

“Facial hair is now commonplace, and it appears inconsistent for Qantas Group to offer cabin crew modern flexibility in dress and grooming while enforcing outdated standards on pilots without scientific consensus,” the submission reads.

“This policy shift was an opportunity for the Qantas Group to demonstrate progress since the Joyce era. Instead it risks further alienating frontline staff.”

AIPA also highlighted the inconsistency of Qantas requiring its own pilots to be clean-shaven, while those employed by wet lease partners Alliance Aviation and Finnair could have beards.

“More broadly, if facial hair is deemed unacceptable on safety grounds, what does this imply for Qantas’ own passengers travelling on Oneworld or codeshare airlines whose pilots are permitted to wear facial hair — such as Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, and British Airways?” said Captains Marshall and Cornell.

Originally published as Hair force: Qantas beard ban sparks global study row about what’s safer for pilots