Update | Emirates says telling cabin crew not to wear Taiwan flag pins per China’s request was an ‘error’
Hours after initial instruction sent to its flight attendants, airline admitted move was ‘incorrect and inappropriate’
In a U-turn on Wednesday, Emirates retracted a demand that all Taiwanese cabin crew remove the island’s national flag pin from their uniforms following the Middle East airline’s decision to support Beijing’s one-China policy.
The original company edict, issued to staff by email on Tuesday, sparked a backlash from Taiwanese employees and the Taiwanese public.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Emirates said the email had been “sent in error” and it had “retracted” the order.
“Our intent is to recall the flag pins worn by all our cabin crew as part of our uniform update,” it said in a statement. “Emirates apologises for the communication error.”
However, the Dubai-based airline was originally specific in ordering cabin crew from Taiwan to replace the island’s flag pin with the Chinese national flag.
“We have been instructed by the Chinese government that with immediate effect, Emirates airline cabin crew are to follow the one-China policy,” Emirates uniform standards and development manager Nicola Parker wrote in her email message.