Airlines / SV · Grooming
Saudia — Appearance & Grooming
Saudia's grooming standard is the most conservative of the major Gulf carriers, in line with the kingdom's norms and the airline's alcohol-free, pilgrimage-heavy operation. It is also one of the few large carriers that accommodates a head covering.
Grooming · Saudia
- Hair
- Hair is worn up, secured and fully off the collar; natural colours only, and nothing decorative. Male crew keep hair short and conventionally cut. The airline does not publish the permitted styles in detail, so they are taught during training in Jeddah.
- Make-up
- Saudia does not publish a makeup specification. The expectation is a groomed, understated face coordinated with the uniform rather than the heavy, prescriptive look some neighbouring carriers require.
- Facial hair
- No public facial-hair rule is published. A neatly trimmed, well-kept beard is more culturally normal in the Saudi operation than at the UAE and Qatari carriers, but confirm the current standard with recruitment rather than assuming.
- Nails
- Short, clean and neutral is the working standard; Saudia does not publish shade or length rules. Anything long, decorated or brightly coloured sits outside the conservative tone the airline sets.
- Glasses & contacts
- The airline publishes no eyewear rule. Plain prescription frames are unremarkable on the line, and carrying a spare pair is sensible on Hajj and Umrah rotations where duty days run long.
- Piercings
- Not published in detail. The conservative standard means one pair of small plain earrings for female crew and none for male crew is the safe assumption.
- Jewellery
- Plain and minimal, in keeping with the airline's conservative image. Saudia does not publish a jewellery list, so avoid anything decorative until the image module says otherwise.
- Tattoos in uniform
- No tattoo may be visible in uniform, and the surrounding grooming standard is conservative enough that this is enforced strictly rather than pragmatically. Ink that a short-sleeved shirt would expose — forearm, wrist, hand, neck, face — is the problem; anything genuinely covered is not.
- Headscarf
- Saudia is consistently listed among the airlines that accommodate the hijab, and a head covering forms part of the female crew uniform in the Saudi operation. The airline does not publish the detail of how this works for international crew, so confirm at application.
- Uniform
- A conservative, fully covering uniform in the airline's green-and-beige palette, worn with a head covering by female crew. It is issued and fitted before training in Jeddah, and the conduct expectations that come with it — alcohol-free service, local norms in uniform — are set out at the same time.
Grooming rules change more often than any other requirement. Verify them on the airline's official careers page before you buy anything or book a hair appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Can Saudia cabin crew wear a hijab?
Yes — Saudia is one of the few major carriers to accommodate a head covering, and it forms part of the female crew uniform in the Saudi operation. The airline does not publish the detail, so confirm at application.
Does Saudia allow beards for male cabin crew?
Saudia does not publish a facial-hair rule. A neatly kept beard is more culturally normal here than at the UAE or Qatari carriers, but ask recruitment rather than assuming, as the standard is set in training.
Are Saudia's grooming standards strict?
They are the most conservative among the large Gulf carriers, covering uniform, appearance and off-duty conduct in the kingdom. Verify on the official careers page — grooming rules change more often than any other requirement.