STRATEGIC AVIATION MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH SAFETY OF SELECT AIRPORT

GROUND STAFF

A Research Paper

Presented to

The Faculty of Senior High School Department

Our Lady of Caysasay Academy

Taal, Batangas

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for Practical Research 2

By:

Barredo, Kurt Daniel M.

Eguia, Ralph Vincent G.

Hermogenes, Ley Jhunnel

Rosaler, Ru Leosar M.
 Chapter I

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Introduction

Discussion of the current situation. Then, discuss the conflict.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak that occurred in 2019 is still ongoing and posing

a continuous threat to both the economy and public health at the global level. It has

disrupted business operations in all industries. The aviation industry is fundamental to the

global economy's day-to-day operations. It not only assists in getting the world's

population from point A to point B, but it is also an important component of global logistics

for the trade of goods, with both of these contributing to $2.7 trillion (3.6 percent) of global

GDP. The aviation industry is one of the most susceptible sector to external threats like

recession and economic crises, natural disasters, oil crises, and disease outbreaks. These

threats severely affect global air travel by increasing flight cancellations, causing the

grounding of aircraft, travel bans, and closure of international borders. The most notable

decrease in air traffic occurred during the oil crisis, Iran-Iraq war, Gulf crisis, Asian crisis,

and September 11, 2001 attacks. The most significant disease outbreak would be the

pandemic we are currently experiencing, the COVID – 19 pandemic. According to a study

entitled “Aviation Benefits and Loss Reports”, Before the pandemic, the aviation industry

has generated 3.6 percent of global GDP by providing a total of 65.6 million jobs in

aviation-related industries through various types of jobs all over the world. Aircrew, airport

operators, airlines, and air navigation service providers are among the direct jobs, while

construction businesses, fuel service providers, original equipment manufacturer

suppliers, and others are among the indirect jobs. Approximately 36.7 million of these 65.6

million employment are generated by the tourist industry, which is heavily reliant on air

travel.

In the airline industry, passenger and crew health is critical in almost every activity:

aircraft operations, passenger transportation, cargo, and so on. They cover a wide range

of matter and phenomena, including duty time limits, infectious disease transmission, and

disinfection. With this, the aviation industry needs to adhere strategic management to

ensure not only the profit but more importantly the health of the airline workers. Therefore,

every airline must be knowledgeable enough to implement protocols and facilitate action

plans that can ensure the safety and wellness of each airline worker.

However, given that more strains are becoming prevalent the WHO addressed this

situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including the implemented containment

measures, the potential risk of being exposed to infected individuals, and the need to deal

with unfamiliar situations at the workplace, and the likeliness to have a negative impact on

the mental health and well-being of aviation personnel. According to Andrea Grout (2020),

Regulations promulgated by aviation regulatory authorities and airline-internal policies

have similar status and meaning, yet there is no harmonized approach internationally and

domestically, and an inability to conform periodic medical assessments to actual

operational wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to better

understand the health criteria of airline worker.

According to the World Economic Forum/Visual Capitalist, their report finds that

transportation workers have the highest COVID-19 risk score—75.7 out of an average

30.2—of 966 non-health jobs assessed. Airline workers are more at risk from COVID-
19 than anyone else on a plane, just by the nature of their work. Close quarters mean

they come within six feet of every passenger and each other multiple times during a

flight. They are vulnerable to contracting the virus when passengers remove their masks

to eat or drink and when trying to convince an anti-masker to comply with rules . They

also established that the air on open ares are cleaner than that of almost all other indoor

spaces, thanks to sophisticated air circulation.

The study will discuss the aviation management and health safety of select airport

ground staffs during the pandemic. The researchers aims to determine the effectiveness

of the strategic aviation management in this time of health and economic crises especially

to the airport ground staffs who are exposed to passengers from different parts of the

world.
Conceptual Framework

The scope of the study entitled “The relationship between the implementation of a

Safety Management System and the attitudes of employees towards unsafe acts in

aviation” sought to resolve the matter to which the utilization of a Safety Management

System (SMS) shaped the mood of airport employees against precarious acts. The

rationale tested was that the application of an SMS into an airport will ensure

advancement in attitudes of employees towards security. A Safety Culture Survey was

applied to quantify these attitudes. Sharjah International Airport, UAE, was used as the

empirical group, as it does not have a convenient SMS in operation, with another English-

speaking International Airport (the Second Airport) being used as a disciplined group, as it

already had an SMS in action. A Safety Culture Survey was used as the pre and post-test

measure over 12 months to resolve the degree of influence of the utilization of the SMS at

Sharjah Airport. The mean score noted by participants at Sharjah Airport expanded

undoubtedly from pre-test measure to post-test measure about connection, safety rules,

supportive surroundings, and work environment. Concurrently, the mean score for

personal priorities reduced reasonably from Phases 1 to 2. Results reveal that participants

at Sharjah Airport listed a compelling conclusive shift in attitude to the safety aspects

enclosed in the Safety Culture Survey, while feedback from the Second Airport displays no

such alteration in mood. The Second Airport showed neither drop nor an increase in

feedback. The results were ample to confirm that the outcomes reported backed up the

hypothesis. The utilization of an SMS at Sharjah Airport has affected positive shifts not

noticed at the Second Airport (Remawi, H., Bates, P., & Dix, I., 2011).
 The present study is anchored on the said research. Both studies aim to assess the

effectiveness of Strategic Aviation Management in the health safety of select airport

ground staff.
 Health Safety of
Strategic Aviation Select Airport
Management Ground Staff

Proposed Action
Plan

Figure 1.0

Research Paradigm
Paradigm of the Study

Figure 1.0 shows the conceptual paradigm of the study. The box at the left

represents the independent variable, strategic aviation management. The box at the right

represents the dependent variable, the health safety of select airport ground staff. The

third box below is the proposed output of the study, an action plan.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to describe the performance of airport ground staff in the time of

health/economic crises.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. How do the select ground staff assess the strategic aviation management?

2. How do the airport ground staff assess their level of safety?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the strategic aviation management and

the performance of the select airport ground staff?

4. How do the proposed action plan be devised to improve the strategic aviation

management towards the performance of the select airport ground staff?

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between the strategic aviation management and

the health safety of the select airport ground staff.

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

This study focused on the health safety of airport ground staff in the time of

health/economic crises in select airlines here in our country as a basis for the proposed

action plan for airports.

The study was restricted to the responses of the selected ground staff of Ninoy

Aquino International Airport. The respondents were selected through random sampling

from the total populations of the employed airport ground staff of Ninoy Aquino

International Airport The study is limited from the participation of other ground staff from

agency/company. The analysis and interpretation of data were limited to the results

obtained from the questionnaire given on the above-mentioned group of respondents.

Where is your delimitation?

Significance of the Study

Considering the problems persisting today in the aviation industry specifically on

ensuring the health and safety of cabin crew and ground staff, the researchers believe that

this study may be significant specifically:

To the Aviation Leaders. This study will help the airline companies’ employers to

revisit their existing manuals of regulations specifically on assuring a safe and secure work

environment not only for the cabin crews but also for the ground staff or personnel.

To the Ground Staff of Airline Workers. It will give new direction to the airline

ground staff or workers to be more conscious of their health as it should be integrated to

the aviation management which airline companies should look into.

 To Senior High School Students. This will help the senior high school students

specially those inclined in aviation careers to make rational decisions on career pathways.

To parents and guardians. The result of this study will give them knowledge in

some problems which airline ground staff face and how these problems especially those

affecting health may also affect their children should they pursue courses in aviation.

To Future Researchers. As a source of information, the result of the study is an

aid to future researchers to cope with valid comparison that may eventually lead to

possible generalizations. Future researchers can be guided as they conduct the same

nature of the study.

Definition of Terms

For clearer understanding of the study, important terms are hereby defined conceptually

and operationally.

Aircrew. It refers to the personnel on a plane such as the pilot and other people

who are responsible for flying it and for looking after any passengers who are on it

(Collins, 2021). In this study, it refers collectively to the specialized group of staff or crew

including the pilot and others responsible for flying an aircraft.

Aviation. It generally refers to the the design, development, production, operation,

and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft (Dictionary.com). Operationally, it

refers to the industry where the primary respondents of the study are directly involved in.

Containment. It is the act of keeping something under control so that it cannot

spread in a harmful way (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). In this study, it is the policy used

by the authorities to curb or control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Strategic Management. It is the management of an organization’s resources to

achieve its goals and objectives (Kenton, 2021). Operationally, it refers to the overall ways

and means employed by the airline companies in their daily operations

Travel Ban. It refers to an order issued by the authorities to all the state ports to

prohibit a person from entering or leaving a country according to a court or police order for

the protection of individual interests in cases like child custody, debt failure, or criminal

investigation (Legal Advice Middle East, 2021). In this study, it refers to the travel

restriction or prohibition issued by an authority or government to its citizens as a means to

curb the spread of COVID -19 pandemic.

Tourism industry. It refers to all activity related to the short-term movement of

people to locations away from where they usually reside (Revfine.com). Operationally, it

refers to one of the major industries in the world which were greatly impacted by the

pandemic.
Citations

Remawi, H., Bates, P., & Dix, I. (2011). The relationship between the implementation of a
safety management system and the attitudes of employees towards unsafe acts in
aviation. Safety Science
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.09.014

Read, J. (2021, January 27). How flight attendants are handling travel during COVID-19.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/heres-what-flight-attendants-
want-you-to-know-about-flying-during-covid

Whitelegg, J. (2021). The special role of Tourism.

http://www.aef.org.uk/downloads/MastReportBristolWhitelegg.doc

Revfine
https://www.revfine.com/tourism-industry/#what-is-the-tourism-industry

Dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aviation

Collins Dictionary
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/aircrew

Oxford Learners Dictionaries

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/containment

Investopedia
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/strategic-management.asp