Pregnant SIA Cabin Crew to Retain Employment After Giving Birth, with Option to Apply for Ground Jobs

Singapore Airlines (SIA) air stewardesses can now continue their careers after giving birth, according to a report by The Straits Times (ST). Previously, pregnant air stewardesses were placed on no-pay leave and had to leave the company after giving birth. However, under the new policy, they can now apply for temporary ground positions during pregnancy, including roles handling passenger feedback and administrative tasks.

If a cabin crew member’s contract expires during pregnancy, it will be renewed for an additional year. Additionally, new mothers will receive 16 weeks of maternity leave before returning to flight duties.

The updated policy, which reportedly took effect on July 15, 2022, has already seen some cabin crew members transitioning into ground roles during their pregnancies.

Before this change, air stewardesses were required to reapply through the “returning crew scheme” to resume their flying careers, without any guarantee of reemployment. In 2010, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) called the previous policy, which required pregnant stewardesses to stop flying after their first trimester, “discriminatory and unfair.”

AWARE’s director, Corinna Lim, praised the new policy as a “major improvement,” but raised concerns about the physical fitness standards for post-partum mothers, noting it can take six months to a year to shed “baby weight.”

SIA responded by affirming that all cabin crew members are expected to maintain the same grooming standards. In a statement to Mothership, SIA said, “Expecting cabin crew may choose to work in temporary ground attachments from the time they declare pregnancy until before delivery, ranging from three to nine months. They will return to flying duties at the end of maternity leave. We remain committed to retaining our talented workforce and supporting them in delivering world-class service.”