Commercial Pressure in Aviation and How it Affects Safety Culture and Decision Making

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aims of the research are to understand the current and potential risk commercial pressure put on safety in the air transport industry; to investigate if, how, and to what extent does commercial pressure influence safety culture; and to explore ways to reduce the impact of commercial pressure on safety. This research is based on 12 interviews from different Saudi aviation organizations, consisting of two pilots, three engineers, a ground operations director, operations director, a professor teaching aviation subjects, a safety and quality assurance manager in ground operations, two vice presidents of sales and strategy, and a CEO of a major airline to gather knowledge and information from subject matter experts (SME). The results were qualitatively analysed to assess if and to what extent commercial pressure is affecting the safety of operations. Ultimately, the paper examines if commercial pressure influences safety culture and decision-making processes and, if so, provides recommendations to mitigate the pressure. The research concludes that commercial pressure alone has no immediate effect on flight safety unless the pressure continues for a long period. However, like Reason’s Swiss cheese model of accident causation (1990), when commercial pressure combines with other factors, it can potentially have both a direct and an indirect negative impact on safety.