Journal of Airline and Airport Management

Towards a realpolitik of aviation safety. A critique of the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin safety protocol grounded in a sociological analysis of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 incident

2026-04-14T08:01:35+00:00

Abstract

Purpose: This paper draws on a sociological analysis of the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 incident to critique the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) normative-bureaucratic safety protocol. Sociological theories referenced include: passive and active learning; latent and active error; systems-thinking; organisational accident and the Swiss cheese model of accident trajectory. The Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 incident followed earlier shoot-downs. For example: Iran Air Flight 655; Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17; Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. Earlier shoot-downs confirmed the importance of risk-free routing.

Design/methodology: The paper draws on authoritative secondary data, for example, the 2025 Preliminary Report published by Kazakhstan’s Commission for Aviation Investigation, to mount a critique of the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) normative-bureaucratic safety protocol. The paper: Describes the factors that contributed to the shoot-down; Tests the efficacy of normative-bureaucratic defences against shoot-downs, such as the sharing of information via International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13-compliant investigations and the issuing of CZIBs; Asks whether accident investigators pay sufficient attention to the social, economic and political context of a near-miss, incident, accident or shoot-down when establishing causation; Assesses the workload implications of considering the social, economic and political context of a near-miss, incident, accident or shoot-down.

Findings: It is concluded that Azerbaijan Airlines failed to act on the relevant CZIB for two reasons. First, Azerbaijan’s government expected the airline to maintain an air bridge with its influential neighbour. While a private concern, Azerbaijan Airlines is the country’s de facto flag carrier, and is expected to act as such by the government. Secondly, the authoritarian character of Azerbaijan’s government discouraged the airline from questioning its government. It is concluded that the European Union’s CZIB normative-bureaucratic safety protocol is compromised by realpolitik without and within the aviation industry. Normative-bureaucratic safety protocols such as CZIBs may create a false sense of security, given this reality.

Originality/value: To the best of the author’s knowledge, at the time this paper was written the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 accident trajectory had not been subjected to a holistic, sociological analysis. The paper’s value lies in that fact that it examines the immediate and proximate causes of the flight J2-8243 incident through a powerful sociological lens that draws on the work of risk-management luminaries such as Professor James Reason, whose Swiss Cheese model of system failure is used by many aviation accident investigators.

Passenger expectations and security perceptions at Vertiports: A survey of U.S. air travelers

2026-04-14T08:01:35+00:00

Purpose: This study examines passenger expectations for security measures at future vertiports supporting electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. No formal passenger-level security requirements yet exist for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) systems, making empirical understanding of passenger expectations essential for commercial deployment.

Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of 1,247 U.S. adults was conducted in 2024 using an online instrument. Analyses included nonparametric tests, Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA), and hierarchical clustering to identify latent attitudinal dimensions and passenger security personas.

Findings: Results indicate strong support for efficient, technology-enhanced screening, with no significant differences across gender, travel frequency, or residential location. Familiarity with UAM technology was the only factor significantly associated with higher security importance ratings (H(2) = 10.48, p = .005). PCoA identified two core dimensions: physical security concerns and privacy/surveillance concerns. Hierarchical clustering revealed five passenger personas: Traditional Security Advocates (28%), Tech-Savvy Travelers (23%), Privacy-Conscious Passengers (6%), Balanced Approach Passengers (10%), and Security Skeptics (34%).

Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional methodology captures stated preferences rather than observed behavior. The online sample may overrepresent digitally literate individuals. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and field evaluations in operational vertiports.

Practical implications: Vertiport operators should implement hybrid security models accommodating diverse preferences rather than uniform approaches. Opt-in biometric pathways, transparent data-handling practices, and choice-based screening may optimize acceptance. Public education about automated screening technologies may increase comfort among skeptical passengers.

Originality/value: This is the first U.S.-based empirical assessment of passenger expectations regarding vertiport security. The dual-dimensional attitudinal structure and five security personas provide evidence-based considerations for vertiport planners, operators, and regulatory agencies developing passenger screening protocols for emerging UAM systems.

Strategic alliances and partnerships between airlines: A case study applied to TAP Air Portugal

2026-04-14T08:01:35+00:00

Purpose: This study addresses the problem of selecting an appropriate strategic partner for TAP Air Portugal, considering both the airline’s structural characteristics and the current competitive dynamics of the aviation sector.

Design/methodology/approach: The research is grounded in a review of the literature on strategic alliances and bilateral partnerships in commercial aviation, followed by an analytical assessment of TAP Air Portugal as a potential partner within the global airline network. A set of candidate airlines is identified based on criteria of geographic, operational, and financial complementarity.

To support the partner selection process, a hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making framework combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy TOPSIS is applied. Expert judgments are used to derive the relative importance of the decision criteria, while fuzzy logic is employed to address uncertainty and imprecision in the evaluation of alternative partners. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the robustness and stability of the results.

Findings: The findings identify China Southern Airlines as the most suitable strategic partner for TAP Air Portugal, primarily due to its strong network complementarity and financial robustness. The results demonstrate the value of structured decision-support methodologies in supporting transparent and robust strategic decisions in the airline industry, particularly in complex and uncertain strategic environments.

Research limitations/implications: The analysis relies on expert judgment and a predefined set of candidate airlines.

Originality/value: This paper offers a structured and replicable decision-support framework for airline strategic partner selection, combining AHP and Fuzzy TOPSIS. By focusing on a medium-sized network carrier, it extends existing literature beyond global alliances and provides practical insights applicable to airline management under uncertainty.

The impact of an airport on an insular region: the case study of João Paulo II Airport

2026-06-04T14:39:08+00:00

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the impact that an airport may have on an insular region, so it is possible to understand how the development of an airport can influence an island. In this case, Ponta Delgada Airport will be the object of study to infer its direct impacts on São Miguel Island’s economy, through the analysis of the airport's direct employment. This impact can be evaluated by finding a relationship between the number of passengers and the number of direct job positions at the airport.

Design/methodology/approach: To this end, a quantitative approach was chosen, collecting employment data from companies operating at the airport viaquestionnaires. To intercept this data with the passenger traffic volume, a linear regression analysis was implemented to quantify and determine the relationship between these variables.

Findings: The linear regression model showed that there is a positive linear relationship between direct employment and passenger traffic volume in this airport. The results show that the increase in the number of passengers handled atthis airport linearly increases direct employment, boosting the direct economy of the island.

Originality/value: This paper fills an information gap on the direct impact of airports on islands, specifically at João Paulo II Airport. This airport has never been a case study in this subject, and the direct effect it has on the employment of the region is not known. The importance of airports in the employment of insular regions in general is not often an object of study.

Establishing an aviation ecosystem indicator to reduce CO2 emissions in CDO landings

2026-06-04T14:38:58+00:00

Purpose: This article focuses on specifying a way for the aviation ecosystem to develop and communicate CO2-reductive CDO landings in a more harmonized way. Therefore, the aim in the conducted research was to find a method to measure the strategic ecosystem health and increase it with a common ecosystem indicator for CO2 reductions in CDO landings. Airlines, through fuel consumption, have a recognized role in flight-time CO2 reductions, but the aviation ecosystem has an impact as well. However, the ecosystem impact recognition in communication is not clear and an ecosystem-level official sustainability reporting method does not exist.

Design/methodology/approach: For the study, semi-structured interviews among the key stakeholders impacting the CDO landings at Helsinki Airport were conducted. The ecosystem stakeholder organizations selected for interviews were the air navigation service provider, airport operator, aviation safety authority, and three airlines.

Findings and Originality/value: The results show that all the selected aviation ecosystem stakeholders have a significant role to play in the CDO process. However, the official corporate targets for the CDO process in the ecosystem do not align. The measuring methods or indicators are not the same in the aviation ecosystem either. To assess the effectiveness and the quality of the ecosystem functionality, an ecosystem health index approach is applied. For this purpose, Strategic Ecosystem Health Index (SEHI) for CO2 reductive CDO landings is introduced.

Originality/value: In conclusion, a fully aligned ecosystem indicator to improve the strategic ecosystem health of CO2 reductive CDO landings is suggested. This purely fuel consumption-based indicator set for all the stakeholders at the same time would increase collaboration and thus success in CO2 reductions in CDO landings It could also help the ecosystem stakeholders to communicate about their role and support airline standardized environmental reporting for CO2 reductions in CDO. The implementation of the suggested indicator is visualized with a Conceptual Influence Diagram (CID).