Wellington, Jun 10 (IANS): Air New Zealand will allow all new and existing employees to have non-offensive tattoos on display while wearing their uniform or normal business attire, announced CEO Christopher Luxon on Monday.

Luxon said the airline is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that truly reflects the makeup of New Zealand, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I'm extremely proud to be making this announcement. It reinforces our position at the forefront of the airline industry in embracing diversity and enabling employees to express individuality or cultural heritage", said Luxon.

The flag carrier has been under pressure to ease its rules on tattoos, particularly ta moko, or traditional Maori tattoos, for several years.

The airline has very strict uniform standard when recruiting. Customer facing staffs are not permitted to have visible tattoos when wearing the uniform.

Air New Zealand said previously that it did not allow tattoos as some passengers "would not feel comfortable", regardless of whether the tattoos were considered to be cultural or otherwise.

However, five months of extensive research with its customers and employees revealed opposite feedbacks.

Research indicates one in five adult New Zealanders has at least one tattoo, with more than 35 per cent of under 30s tattooed.

The policy change will be implemented from September 1.