Virgin Atlantic's gender-neutral uniform policy was ditched when the airline flew England football team's flight to Qatar to keep staff safe, the airline has said.
The crew working on the flight from Birmingham airport to the World Cup on Tuesday were required to wear uniforms based on their gender due to a risk-assessment by the carrier.
Virgin Atlantic introduced a "fluid" approach in September, which it said at the time gave staff the option of wearing its red or burgundy uniforms based on "how they identify or present themselves".
Virgin Atlantic said in a statement: "The safety and security of our people and customers is always our top priority.
"We're proud our leading gender identity policy allows our people to express themselves through uniform choice.
"As part of our policy, we complete a risk assessment on all countries we fly to, considering laws and attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community and expressions of identity on a case by case basis.
"Following a risk assessment, it was recommended the policy was not applied on today's charter flight to ensure the safety of our people."
Earlier this autumn all workers and customers were given the green light to wear badges announcing their pronouns, with passengers able to add gender neutral markers to their tickets.
Crew, pilots and ground teams can wear uniforms designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood which "best represents them – no matter their gender, gender identity, or gender expression", the company then announced.
Virgin says that the move reflects the diversity of the workforce" and "cements its position as the most inclusive airline in the skies."
Jaime Forsstroem, a member of cabin crew at the company, said: “The updated gender identity policy is so important to me."
It was not clear at the time that the policy would be suspended during flights to certain countries.
Qatar's oppressive laws and treatment of LGBTQ+ people have been criticised ahead of the tournament.
World Cup organisers have frequently claimed LGBTQ+ fans will be safe if they travel to the tournament, though few believe those assurances.
Mirror Football revealed earlier this week that LGBTQ+ Qataris are being hunted, arrested, beaten and forced into conversion therapy by security forces.
Same-sex relationships are outlawed in the Middle Eastern Emirate, with homosexuality even punishable by death under Qatari law.
