Bringing an end to DEI hiring practices, the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced Friday the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing a new mandatory “Operations Specification” (OpSpec) requiring all commercial airlines to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots.
To ensure the effectivity of the new rule, Carriers must formally certify race- and sex-based hiring has ended or face potential federal investigation under new FAA mandate.
Under the new mandate, all U.S. carriers must certify that the practice of airlines hiring based on race and sex has ended or face a federal investigation.
“When families board their aircraft, they should fly with confidence knowing the pilot behind the controls is the best of the best,” DOT Secretary Sean P. Duffy said. “The American people don’t care what their pilot looks like or their gender—they just care that they are [the] most qualified man or woman for the job.”
DOT said that even though the FAA has raised performance standards while eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) based positions within the agency and terminating related contracts, “allegations of airlines hiring based on race and sex remain.”
The action follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, and his presidential memorandum Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation, both issued on Jan. 21, 2025.
In the order, President mentioned that critical institutions in the country, including large commercial airlines, have adopted “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” under DEI policies that can violate the country’s civil rights laws.
Following the executive order, Trump blamed DEI hiring practices at the FAA, followed by the previous administration, for a midair crash that occurred on Jan. 29, 2025, killing 67 people. This was the deadliest plane crash in the United States since November 2001.
In its statement, the DOT said the FAA is authorized to prescribe minimum safety standards for airline operations. The operational safety of air carriers is “fundamentally dependent” on the proficiency and knowledge of their crew members.
The DOT said that federal regulations establish stringent training and qualification standards for flight crew members. The effectiveness of these training programs, it said, improves when pilot applicants have the required cognitive skills, qualifications, and technical knowledge.
“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,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “Someone’s race, sex, or creed, has nothing to do with their ability to fly and land aircraft safely.”
FAA Operational safety of air carriers is fundamentally dependent upon the knowledge and proficiency of its flight crewmembers. Federal regulations establish rigorous training and qualification standards.
The effectiveness of these training programs is enhanced when new-hire pilot applicants enter training possessing a verified baseline of technical knowledge, cognitive skills, and piloting qualifications and experience.
In December 2024, a month before the new Trump administration took office, America First Legal (AFL) said that Southwest Airlines and American Airlines had committed to dropping their DEI policies after the nonprofit filed complaints against the companies.
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