Amid enhanced safety measures for airlines due to the coronavirus pandemic, Air Asia is trialling designer personal protective equipment for cabin crew.
The Malaysian airline has enlisted the help of renowned Filipino fashion designer Puey Quinones to create the bright red, futuristic suits.
Similar in style to Formula One suits, the uniforms have protective visors, hoods and medical masks and come in Air Asia's signature bright red.
The uniforms were introduced on a recent repatriation flight from Bangkok to Manila.
"AirAsia Philippines initiated a trial run of a customised PPE design. It was first used in a recent recovery flight and a further assessment of the design is under way," said a spokesperson for Air Asia.
It's not yet clear if the airline plans to roll out the uniforms across its network. A representative for the low-cost airline said "the customised PPE is still being reviewed".
Puey Quinones is from Northern Samar, but lives and works in Los Angeles. He shared a preview of his design via Instagram.
He is also fund-raising for supplies to create non-medical PPE to distribute to healthcare facilities and workers in the Philippines, and for funds to buy meals for front line workers in his home country.
"Our healthcare centres and healthcare workers – whose duties to their countrymen are nothing short of heroic – need our support," says Quinones on his crowdfunding page.
Air Asia isn't the first Filipino airline to introduce protective uniforms for crew.
Philippine Airlines recently revealed its protective crew uniforms. Created by a Filipino designer called Edwin Tan, the white protective suits have a red, yellow and blue striped shoulder as a nod to the country's flag.
Other airlines are changing crew uniforms to ensure the safety of staff and passengers during the pandemic. Emirates recently revealed details of PPE that all crew must wear on flights operated by the Dubai airline.
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