Samenvatting

Safety and security are the two fundamental pillars of aviation operations. Safety and security issues stem not only from technical failures but mainly from human errors which are much more possible in a deteriorated work environment such as the one shaped in the last decades due to the air transport deregulation and intensified from the recent economic crisis. This study aimed first to detailly map the austerity Human Resource Management (HRM) practices currently engaged in the aviation industry and then to reveal the pattern of interrelations between four main constructs: austerity HRM, work deterioration, safety risks and security risks. To this end, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology was engaged. Initially, an Economic Crisis Index (ECI) was created, combining the macroeconomic figures from 22 European countries, during the economic crisis (2009-2016). Having formed the picture of the economic environment, 120 aviation employees from 40 airports were surveyed with a 5-point Likert scale query. The results of the first stage of the study established a positive correlation between escalating economic crisis and the four study constructs and detected statistical differences in particular safety and security variables among the sample groups. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews with 23 aviation experts were employed to explore in depth the changes in commercial aviation and work. Finally, the research model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), confirming that austerity HRM practices indirectly enhance safety and security risks, through the mediation of the deteriorated working environment. This study has significant theoretical and practical implications. The results highlight the importance of human factors in the technical-dominated area of aviation safety and support the affinity of safety and security that should be treated with a more systemic approach. Besides, it is sounding the alarm that the cost-minimizing policies currently dominating the air transport industry may have adverse safety and security implications and it draws attention to new emerging threats such as pandemics that were underestimated a few years ago. Highlights • Austerity HRM practices, work deterioration, safety and security risks all are positively correlated with a high economic crisis index. • Todays’ aviation workplace is dominated by minimized benefits and maximized demands, a combination that is conducive to human errors. • Key changes in work parameters of safety-critical staff are found in recruitment, employment contracts, training, and career development. • Safety and security risks are linked directly with work deterioration and indirectly with austerity HRM practices. • Security risks may lead to safety hazards