U.S. airlines told to stop DEI-hiring pilots | 15 Feb 2026 | The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a sweeping mandate requiring all commercial airlines to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots, explicitly barring the use of race or sex as factors in recruitment. The directive, delivered via a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Operations Specification (OpSpec), demands that carriers certify they have terminated any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in pilot selection. Airlines that fail to comply face the threat of federal investigation. “When families board their aircraft, they should fly with confidence knowing the pilot behind the controls is the best of the best,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement on Friday. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stressed that the rule is fundamentally about safety.