Virgin Atlantic to feature gay man as part of new aircraft branding

British carrier Virgin Atlantic is diversifying its logos, to include a gay man and a black woman.

The airline has long had a 'Flying Lady' emblem on the side of its aircraft, which shows a white woman flying the British flag.

The original artwork by Alberto Vargas appeared in a December 1943 edition of Esquire magazine.

The company was given permission by the Vargas estate, and it started to appear on their aircraft.

But the Richard Branson-owned firm has decided it's time for a change.

The new high flyers will feature a diverse range of men and women, to be rolled out on its new Airbus A350-1000 fleet.

They will feature on four aircraft this year, followed by a further eight by 2021.

The new portraits include a black woman, a red-headed woman and a man with a rainbow symbol on his thigh.

Virgin's use of the 'Flying' Lady was inspired by figureheads that have decorated ships since the 16th century.

© Copyright 2019 Virgin Atlantic Airways

In a statement on the change, the company said: "This move represents a big change for us following our pledge to tackle our gender pay gap and increase diversity and inclusion across the business, and this is mirrored in the look and feel of the brand.

"We're aiming to have a 50:50 gender balance in leadership roles, as well as at least 12% black, Asian and minority ethnic group (BAME) representation across the company, by 2022."

"With our latest brand campaign, we've become the first company to show a same sex couple in our ad imagery in India, and will be the first airline to have male figureheads on our aircraft."

The process of making the new logos | © Copyright 2019 Virgin Atlantic Airways

Senior vice president of people at the company is Nikki Humphrey.

"The saying goes 'You can't be what you can't see' and that has never been truer than the aviation industry's glamourous image in the past.

"We've been working for a number of years to tackle our gender pay gap, create an inclusive workplace and increase the diversity of our workforce, through the development of our Springboard scheme for women, as well as the launch of engineering apprenticeships.

"By introducing our new Flying Icons I hope it encourages people from all backgrounds to feel at home flying with us, but also working with us."

Virgin also recently announced that women employees can choose whether to wear trousers or a skirt, and removed requirements to wear makeup, in a similar move to Aer Lingus.