The COVID-19 Impact of Aviation Safety

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Abstract

The research delves into the impact of COVID-19 on the safety of the aviation industry. Focusing on the aviation engineers, the study analyzes how their deteriorating skills after resumption to work have posed threats to the industry’s safety. The study is conducted through a qualitative approach to aid in finding answers to the research questions, which mainly revolve around the skills of aviation engineers and safety in the industry. The finding suggests that other factors such as work overload and financial pressures can be blamed for the incidents being witnessed after the break alongside employees’ rustiness. Offering training opportunities to the employees from break is among the solutions that could help restore safety in the industry. Various literature supports these findings; thus, the need to adopt the strategies explored. However, there is a need to conduct more research on the topic in the future using data from different parts of the world to make a more reliable general conclusion.

Introduction

The aviation industry is among the sectors which were greatly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic directly affected the transport sector because of the restrictions to movement, which were adopted to reduce the spread of the virus. After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the virus a pandemic, there was a significant change in people’s routine life across the globe. The virus led to the death of millions of people and seriously affected economic activities in various parts of the world. In the aviation industry, the effect of the pandemic did not only affect the economy of the industry but other aspects such as the skills and expertise of different employees. Therefore, it is important to conduct in-depth research to establish the impact of COVID-19 disturbance on aircraft engineers and how it can influence aviation safety.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the world economy has been significantly affected. Research by Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi (2021), elaborates more on how various airlines suffered extensive losses and how some became bankrupt due to the pandemic. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been keen on monitoring the effect of the crisis on the industry. ICAO has been monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on civil aviation based on four main areas, which include economic, aircraft utilizations, operational, and country-pair traffic impact. ICAO reports that the industry has been affected in all four facets since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

Aviation safety has been an important area to focus on since the pandemic. Safety has been substantially affected in the industry across various angles. The industry strives to offer its services without jeopardizing the health of both the employees and the customers. Most aviation companies have formulated and adopted safety precautions against COVID-19 as they strive to restore their activities. However, other than health concerns, there are other significant safety issues in the industry. Arguably, following several months of lockdown, most of the employees in the aviation industry came back rusty. In the United States, numerous pilots have reported numerous mistakes after the break to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA, operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), enables the pilots and other crew members to anonymously report human errors and other mechanical glitches. According to the reports submitted to FAA, most of the employees claimed the errors were a result of rustiness from the break (Aviation trends post COVID-19: Nine issues to watch as the industry prepares for take-off, 2021). The claims imply that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the skills and performance of aviation employees.

Other than the pilots, the aviation engineers have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis because not only the former group has made mistakes that have led to incidents and accidents in the recent past. Sources that publish incidents and accidents encountered in commercial aviation, such as the Aviation Herald, have proved the claims to be true. The Aviation Herald website shows that most of the problems encountered by commercial aviation have resulted from mechanical failures (The Aviation Herald, 2021). To an extent, this may imply that the aviation engineers are making mistakes and failing to meet the required safety standards.

Therefore, it is evident that the recovery of the aviation industry has been coupled with a decay in skills among the employees. According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a duration with no or reduced activities can be responsible for degrading employees’ skills. Additionally, such situations deter the development of expertise among the staff. In the aviation industry, learning is continuous since the professionals working in different areas increase their proficiency through insight, improving performance, flexibility, and practice and performance (Franklin, 2021). The pandemic deprived the staff of all these learning opportunities for a considerable amount of time.

The deterioration of expertise among the employees in the aviation industry has a secondary impact on their spare mental capacity. Currently, the aviation staff has to employ more effort when undertaking specific tasks than when they are highly proficient. With the sensitivity in the industry, employees such as pilots and engineers usually depend on the spare mental capacity to successfully perform numerous tasks without experiencing mental overload. Cognitive overload hurts the performance of aviation employees because it can deter them from recovering from the surprise effects encountered (Franklin, 2021). Proficiency and expertise decay as a result of the COVID-19 break is thus a challenge that may pose a significant threat to the safety of aviation activities.

Aviation accidents usually result in death and massive financial losses for the companies. Therefore, addressing the factors that might result in these problems is an important step towards mitigation. Over the years, the major causes of airplane accidents have been pilot errors, mechanical failures, weather, and other human error (Krejsa, Němec and Hrdinová, 2018). Deterioration of skills among employees in the industry can only lead to more mechanical problems. Since the engineers are responsible for the mechanical maintenance of the aircraft, decay in their skills after the pandemic can only result in more accidents. Consequently, the mechanical problems reflect on the overall safety of the industry.

Problem Statement

There is limited research that has been directed towards understanding the impact of skill deterioration among aviation engineers after the COVID-19 break. Therefore, this research will strive to elaborate on the impact of reduced skills and possibly reflect on addressing the problem. Safety is a key aspect in the aviation industry that must be observed at all times. Exploring a potential cause of problems is relevant because it can help significantly in identifying solutions. Failures resulting from deficient engineers’ skills in the sector can be detrimental to the lives of the people on board and the economic stability of the companies. The research will accurately illuminate the impact and offer a solution for ensuring aviation safety.

Aim and Objectives

The objective of the research include:

• To investigate the impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on engineers’ skills.
• To examine the impact of deteriorating engineering skills on aviation safety.
• To Analyze the factors influencing the decline of engineers’ skills.
• To develop recommendations to help re-establish the skills of engineers lost during the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19.

Research questions

Below are the research questions addressed:

1. Did the suspension of flight operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic have a negative effect on the skills of aviation engineers?
2. What is the connection between deteriorating engineering skills and aviation safety?
3. What specific factors influence the deterioration of engineers’ skills during the break?
4. What measures can be adopted to improve the decayed engineers’ skills?

Literature Review

Introduction

The literature review section explores other related studies on the aviation industry while adhering to the research topic. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the global aviation industry’s day-to-day activities. The post-pandemic period has experienced several setbacks, such as engineers’ skill deterioration emanating from worldwide flight operation suspension. Therefore, the section looks into areas such as aviation safety, threats to aviation safety, the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, the impact of COVID-19 on engineering skills, and solutions for future pandemic management.

Aviation Safety

Aviation safety has made tremendous strides over the past decade. The incorporation of safety regulation during the COVID-19 period saw stakeholders’ demand for speedy mitigation measures (Gottipati et al., 2020). A key aspect to the achieved safety standards is attributed to an approach of identifying factors contributing to incidents occurrence while eliminating perceived reasons for failures (Thoroman et al., 2018). General aviation safety was attributed to the training of pilots while seeking to improve their performance levels (Boyd, 2017). The safety, well-being, and health of both the crew and passengers became the priority in the aviation industry (Airports Council International, 2021). The entrance of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a halt in airlines’ operations in the aviation industry (Xiang et al., 2021). Safety measures such as testing patients who arrive at a destination, observing COVID-19 protocols, and the immense discovery of vaccines ensured airlines resume their operations effectively (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). The safety of personnel and passengers utilizing the aviation industry was essential since the absence of one party would disrupt the entire sector.

Knowledge and skills are fundamental aspects of the aviation industry. Safety in aviation is successful if the firm has made efforts to ramp up its training to boost skills and knowledge aviation professionals possess, therefore, mitigating risks (EASA, 2021). The disruptions experienced in air traffic are disastrous if not properly checked. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the main factors which contribute to the registered accident are those associated with controlling loss. The aspects included distractions, disorientation, inadequate risk mitigation skills, lack of aircraft handling techniques, and startled responses. Inadequate aircraft handling skills greatly affected pilot proficiency since it required performance and practice (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Proficiencies are achieved by possessing relevant skills and knowledge while being able to practice the learned aspect.

Since late 2019 there has been a surge in COVID-19 cases all over the world. Therefore, the aviation industry has been forced to adopt and adhere to safety and health protocols such as aircraft disinfection aiming to destroy the capabilities of passengers contracting the disease (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). Airlines were required to work towards re-establishing a means of proactively undertaking safety measures such as ensuring social distance, adherence to hygiene standards, and provision of flexible bookings to accommodate the increase in demand. In this manner, not only will consumer confidence be boosted, but also mitigation of adverse COVID-19 risks is possible (Liu et al., 2020). The health of personnel in the aviation industry was essential since the loss of skilled staff to COVID-19 would take a longer period to replace.

The aviation industry had witnessed actions being taken to ensure the safety of their crew and passengers. The imposition of legislation in the aviation industry, such as requiring passengers to maintain social distance and application of cabin air filtering by airlines, was for the safety of the users (Elias, 2020). Capacity building for rapid testing points of passengers, where their results were quickly relayed, ensured a vital step in fighting and mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the aviation industry (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). The incorporation of safety measures by the aviation airlines was skewed towards early detection and mitigation of COVID-19 before it spread to other users.

One of the causes of aviation industry incidents and accidents occurrences is associated with engine failure. The desire to secure the aviation sector led to the creation of a managerial safety system in the year 2013, with an improvement anticipated to be witnessed within the industry (Krejsa, Nemec, and Hermankova, 2018). COVID-19 pandemic emergence impacted the knowledge and skills of the professionals in the aviation sector while inhibiting the capability of safely operating. It is suggested that the professional was subjected to knowledge and skills degradation elements since they were kept out of service for a more extended period (Franklin, 2021). The fear of employees’ knowledge and skills in the aviation industry being downgraded has inhibited the post-COVID-19 recovery phase.

The aviation industry recovery process is faced with challenges since the sector is considered to be vulnerable to numerous shocks, capabilities, and resilience to dealing with the looming crisis while remaining minimal in many dimensions (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). The low resumption of aviation activities is coupled with the fear to be involved in incidents and accidents likely to not only affect their trustworthiness but also make the airline lose revenue.

Threats to aviation safety

The aviation industry faces threats associated with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The vulnerability of the aviation industry to external threats such as pandemics has greatly contributed to the cancellation of flights, closure of borders, travel bans, and grounding of aircraft (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Incorporating acts of disinfecting aircraft proved futile since the spreading situation was made complex by passengers who were vectors (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). The constant shifting overload of information relating to COVID-19 mitigation procedures with the absentia in aircraft flights exposes cabin crews to errors. Aviation industry professions such as technicians were stressed, and their self-assurance decayed, affecting performance levels while creating safety concerns in the airlines’ operations (EASA, 2021). Flight disruption immensely contributed to the technician’s reduction in proficiency because of the prolonged absence in practice which led to the technicians forgetting basic procedures.

It is reported during the COVID-19 crisis that about two-thirds of the world’s aviation fleet lay idle with the registered air traffic having fallen by 90% as at April 2020 in comparison to other years (Aviation trends post COVID-19: Nine issues to watch as the industry prepares for take-off, 2021). Flight disruption immensely contributed to the technician’s reduction in proficiency because of the prolonged absence in practice which led to the technicians forgetting basic procedures.

The outbreak of the pandemic led to the closure of facilities associated with the aviation industry. Flight activities in the aviation industry were accompanied by other challenges such as reduction in number of technical experts such as the engineers. These multitudes of setbacks and challenges have greatly left the relevant knowledge and skills eroded among professions associated with the aviation industry (EASA, 2021). In 2020, the aviation industry took a step back in performance since the severely reduced number of flights had a magnification on the impact of particular accident scenarios when the calculation of rates was conducted. The trend will not be allowed, but a sharper focus would be on the period when operations were reduced and when aviation activities re-open worldwide (IATA, 2021). The Threat and Error Management model was adopted in the industry. However, despite failing to identify systematic aspects for mitigating risks, it was widely applicable in managing crew mistakes since they evaluate their effectiveness during the task (Thoroman et al., 2018). The grounding of flights and closure of necessary facilities vital for replenishing personnel skills led to a higher likelihood of engineering staff making errors.

Pandemics have hugely inhibited the aviation industry operations. Before the outbreak of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was reported to have occurred in 2003 (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). These pandemics unprecedently are associated with crises such as reducing the number of flights, staff layoffs, restrictions, and recoveries of flights country-wise (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Millions of semi-skilled and skilled personnel were incorporated in the aviation industry supply sector (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). Reduced air traffic due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have significantly exposed the majority of professionals in the aviation industry to the risk of inability to effectively perform their tasks when flights resume (EASA, 2021). Incidents are likely to occur since there exists shortage of engineering personnel in certain sections of the aviation industry.

Impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry

COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on civil aviation regarding parking and storage of aircraft. The pandemic led to a shortage in parking since about 14,400 airplanes required parking despite their existing limited facilities to accommodate all the grounded aircraft (Serrano and Kazda, 2021). It is approximated that 98% of aviation revenues globally by March 2020 were tremendously reduced due to imposed restrictions and border closures among countries (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). The decline in revenue has prompted certain countries to financially support their respective national carriers and the participants in the aviation industry supply chains (Abate, Chrsistidis, and Purwanto, 2020). The loss of revenue was experienced against a backdropping mount of debt (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). Civil aviation was affected most by the COVID-19 pandemic, a fact which led to enormous loss of its revenue among airlines.

COVID-19 has disrupted the supply chain, which is associated with the aviation industry. Over the years the aviation industry had attracted numerous organizations which directly engage with the supply chains and various government policies. The former is associated with the distribution of products such as gems, jewelry, pharmaceuticals, and food (Belhadia et al., 2020). The bad business outlook was led to downgrades and cash burn by worldwide rating agencies. Global airlines are reported to have dropped about 49% of their market shares, with those operating in America losing around 55%, while the Asia Pacific once dropped at an approximated amount of 37% (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). Supply chains are essential in assisting global linkages among trade partners in the aviation industry.

There is a reported high loss of revenue because of the emergence of COVID-19. The aviation industry witnessed tremendous growth, where passengers’ numbers doubled between 2005 to 2019 (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). The existence of stringent travel measures such as lockdowns and aircraft grounding had led to a fall in demand in the aviation industry (Lui et al., 2020). It is estimated by the International Civil Aviation that there exists a likely decrease in airlines revenue from $135 to $112 billion since passengers would have decreased from 607 to 503 million (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). The expectation of an extended decrease in aircraft travel was anticipated to last until late 2021, therefore, making the future of the aviation industry bleak (Abate, Chrsistidis and Purwanto, 2020). Imposed lockdowns and flight restrictions hugely contributed to revenue losses among airlines during the pandemic period.

COVID-19 pandemic led to job losses among airline workers. It is reported airline’s labor force has witnessed a huger brunt associated with a decline in sales and looming crises. The registered job loss stood between 7% and 13%, reflecting 400,000 staff fired because of disruptions in the aviation sector (Belhadia et al., 2020). Flight reductions were registered because of lockdowns resulting in several pilots being furloughed while others were laid-off by their airlines (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). The rate of job losses among personnel in the aviation industry was alarming when the pandemic was at its peak.

COVID-19 had a rotational impact on air transport since there was a significant drop in both international and domestic flights in the following months. The restrictive measures led to the grounding of aircraft, implying the inability to access regular tools for simulation. The tools are expensive but necessary in sustaining piloting skills the desired degree of safety (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). COVID-19 gave maintenance engineers a prolonged breaks in performing and fulfilling their tasks, therefore, exposing them to weakened and eroded knowledge, which unfamiliarized them with the task. While undertaking maintenance controls, engineers will be prone to errors that possibly expose the aircraft to an incident (EASA, 2021). The decline in both domestic and international flights inhibited the maintenance engineer advancing their knowledge and skills.

Cabin crews are likely to make errors which can result in various incidents. Between 55% and 85% of witnessed aircraft accidents are blamed on cabin crew error (Boyd, 2017). COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to perform studies on the borne consequences of allowing cabin crews to wear masks while in the deck. The practice has drawn discussion since pilots are required to quickly access and wear oxygen masks in scenarios where there is smoke or depressurization in the cockpit (Elias, 2020). The FAA initiated flight training programs in partnership with the industry to boost training relevance to the overall aviation activities leading to a decline in accidents between 2013 and 2014 (Boyd, 2017). The desire to create and make the cabin comfortable sought to study whether face masks may deter their performance when oxygen masks were worn.

COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously led to the existence of unmanned air traffic facilities and controllers. Many personnel had been infected with coronavirus, pushing the facilities to utilize less staff than the required number. In the process, unplanned air traffic facilities were shut, prompting FAA in April 2020 to publish a safety alert outlining instructions for pilots operating in airports experiencing such shortages (Elias, 2020). Data from previous studies have demonstrated how flights conducted in degraded visuals such as fog, clouds, and rain require co-operation between him/her and the external instruments. The absence of external aid exposes the aircraft to the risks of encountering incidents and accidents (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). The existing challenges due to COVID-19 resulted in job stress and simultaneously had an impact on employees’ productivity, specifically the engineering personnel in the aviation industry (Widodo et al., 2021). Unmanned air traffic exposes aircraft to incidents such as collisions or accidents since the external aid emanating from personnel in the facilities is lacking.

Impact of COVID-19 on the engineering skills

Completed studies have shown there is a close correlation between employees’ engineering skills and productivity. Therefore, the aviation industry is greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since the engineering skills of employees seem to deteriorate over time (Widodo et al., 2021). The disruptions in operations in the aviation industry led to layoffs which if activities regain normalcy, then airlines would be required to train their recruits to realize expertise levels. Recent recruitments have been blamed on less-skilled labor since graduates possess multiple specializations (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Incidents are likely to occur if pilots fail to possess the necessary piloting skills since their proficiencies have been immensely reduced (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Productivity is high when there exist no disruptions since the engineers’ skills are boosted through scheduled training utilizing the grounded aircraft.

The likelihood of a pilot losing his/her piloting skills during the COVID-19 period was established to be high. Studies showed how pilots’ longer period of skills disuse affected their skill retention capability since they possessed a declining trend (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Decay in proficiency creates direct safety risks while accuracy, effectiveness, and performance speed deteriorate since practice sessions were unavailable. Lockdowns and aircraft grounding created a period of decreased learning activities, developing into inadequate expertise development. Professions such as pilots are in continuous learning processes coupled with practicing, experience acquisition, performance improvement, flexibility, and insightful achievements (EASA, 2021). The disuse of piloting skills due to COVID-19 restrictions makes it easier for technicians and cabin crew to lose their professionalism aspects.

Before the onset of COVID-19, the aviation industry had witnessed incidents. The reduction and shrinkage in airline fleets impacted the safety of aviation staff. Cabin crew, flight attendants, technicians, and mechanics had qualifications for operating specific types of aircraft. Despite the remaining staff being in a position to align themselves with necessary qualifications, training, and skills acquisition suitable for the changing needs of the fleets, the available labor agreements pose a challenge to implementation of the changes (Elias, 2020). Airlines’ restructuring of human resources placed a higher burden on cabin crew maintenance of flight proficiency levels. The Aviation Safety Reporting System reports the process analyzed data to have raised reports of pilot incidence by about 1000% during the COVID-19 period (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). The acquisition of relevant skills by technicians faces restrictive barriers when personnel restructuring is desired since there exist entered labor agreements between the airlines and their staff.

The recovery process post-COVID-19 faces challenges since the aviation industry will need a rethinking of its education to equip the graduates with the essential skills they require. Dozens of cabin crew personnel have notified the Aviation Safety Reporting System of having made a mistake while in the cockpit (Aviation trends post COVID-19: Nine issues to watch as the industry prepares for take-off, 2021). The rustiness was attributed to the fact that they missed out on action for a couple of months due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The transition period initially affects the management in air traffic since they guide while supervising work related to computational intelligence. As per forecasts, the registered shortages of tens of thousands of personnel to maintain the aviation industry calls for curricula redesign (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Skills proficiency is paramount before the inclusion of personnel such as pilots into the aviation industry. Proficiency was lost among several cabin crews since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the decline in aircraft travel (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Reshaping aviation education would be costly to the participants of the aviation industry.

The layoffs witnessed in the aviation industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made airlines explore unique operational concerns. Airlines’ adoption of single-piloting design where cabin crews are expected to perform stand-down events, contribute resources and news while outreaching the single-piloting community. Therefore, they are expected to possess a flight tool for risk assessment (National Business Aviation Association, 2021). Improper training and lack of relevant tools will fail to make the aviation industry immune to the pandemic. Forecasts confirm the failure of the airline business to be immune from the COVID-19 pandemic (Belhadia et al., 2020). The exploration of unique operational techniques by airlines seeks to make them survive through the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Solutions for future pandemic management

The aviation industry requires recovery after the emergence of COVID-19, which has impacted the sector negatively. The industry will have to realign its activities with the new era, therefore, protecting the aviation industry from imminent collapse while discussing a sustainable and resilient way for forging forward in the future (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). The government should offer support by aiding airlines to offer succession and career plans to its personnel, such as flight attendants, to boost corporate identity. Similarly, employers need to avail support during the transition period by enabling current employees to be re-skilled about the job by use of platforms such as boot camps, online courses, and rotational programs (Sun, Wandelt and Zhang, 2021). The recovery process needs sustainable management to foster the building of resilience in the aviation industry (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). Recovery will be imminent only if the airlines and their associated governments enter into a partnership that will support them through the cringing times.

There is a need to create supply chain resilience strategies necessary to absorb and prevent changes while trying to regain the initial performance before the occurrence of COVID-19. The measures would seek to strengthen and sustain the threatened supply chains during the pandemic (Belhadia et al., 2020). The strategy will be effective if senior airline management, through accountability managers, incorporates the proper support and policy necessary during returning to the normal operations stage and the next (EASA, 2021). Adopting a different model for conducting business while factoring in sustainable issues by airports and airlines would create a turbulent operational environment (Dube, Nhamo, and Chikodzi, 2021). Strategies and models in the supply chain will ensure a continued linkage between different destinations across the globe.

There is a need for bringing on board all the stakeholders associated with the aviation industry. A workshop involving the leaders of the aviation industry and federal officials was sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in September 2007, aiming at collaborating plans to address outbreaks of pandemics (Elias, 2020). A fundamental skill an employee driving the aviation industry future is required to deal with uncertainties. The correct likelihood of dealing with uncertainties is a discipline being understudied in civil engineering (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Collaboration of stakeholders is essential in dealing with uncertainties brought about by pandemic occurrences.

Post-COVID-19 recovery plans by airline operators need to provide consideration for cabin crews to make a return to flying activities since it forms part of their Safety Management System procedures. The cabin crew will be availed an opportunity to effectively identify and mitigate risks appropriately (EASA, 2021). Similarly, the players in the aviation industry, while re-opening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, should put in place measures necessary to ensure the safety of their employees and customers (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). Recovery plans are vital in ensuring technicians and cabin crew are in a position to mitigate and identify risks.

Studies have shown how COVID-19 restricted flights since aircraft were grounded, an act which left cabin crew’s skills erosion. There is a need to redesign other training programs essential for coping with knowledge and skills degradation during the period (EASA, 2021). Adopting training practices in the aviation industry ensures customers’ security and safety (Dube, Nhamo, and Chokodzi, 2021). The education platforms are responsible for assisting graduates in managing the associated impacts of COVID-19 while preparing them to deal with the changing needs of the aviation industry (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Similarly, the migration of tasks at the personnel and management level was appropriate to ensure the protection of incidents occurring in multiple levels of the aviation industry (Thoroman et al., 2018). Redesigning training programs ensure personnel is adequately competent while performing their tasks as in normal circumstances.

COVID-19 pandemic contributed to skills deterioration caused by the suspension of flight operations. Past studies have shown how pilot certification has been essential in mitigating the incident occurrence levels (Boyd, 2017). Similarly, multi-pilot operations have demonstrated they are more effective than single-pilot designs, which have a 30% likelihood of being involved in an incident (National Business Aviation Association, 2021). Therefore, there is a need to design strategies with a higher probability of reconfiguring resources and responding to strengthen their competency levels while adapting to perceived consequential effects. Renewal and reconfiguration of capabilities create an allowance for recovery steps from COVID-19 related disruptions (Belhadia et al., 2020). Pilot certification would see pilots seeking relevant forms of training to assist him/her in being accredited by the relevant aviation bodies.

Forecast of Performance of Aviation Industry

The resumption of various activities posts COVID-19 has been slightly different from before the pandemic. The aviation industry operations have not been an exception since the industry has recorded a sluggish comeback in terms of performance. Various scholars and organizations have strived to forecast the performance of the aviation industry after the pandemic. A study by Xuan et al. (2021) focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the Airline Industry Revenue (ALR) and strives to forecast the industry’s performance in the future. The authors established that the air cargo and the gross domestic product are the most reliable predictors for the ALR. According to the research, the pre-pandemic performance in terms of ALR is expected to be achieved in 2023.

The results match the U-shaped and V-shaped, implying that the recovery phase is likely to be gradual. Research by Weston et al. (2021) also reveals the sluggish recovery of the industry. In nearly all continents, the performance of the aviation industry has failed to bounce back to the status before the pandemic because even after the resumption of traveling activities, there are still issues that deter normal operations. Weston et al. (2021) point to vaccination as one factor that has inhibited the airline’s speedy resumption. This is because most countries have only lifted the restriction on international travel to only individuals who have received vaccinations. Dray and Schäfer (2021) also assert that the recovery of the aviation industry is a tough one because the industry’s future is uncertain. Therefore, addressing the issues of safety caused by incidents and accidents related to the employees’ skills may be important in reducing the uncertainty in the industry.

Conclusion

The exploration of the five sections illustrates how the occurrence of COVID-19 across the globe has contributed to the deterioration of skills in engineering personnel. The aviation industry, which had been ranked as the fast and safe means of transport, failed the immunity test against the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges facing aviation, specifically regarding personnel skill deterioration, have made the aviation industry incur hefty revenue loss associated with the need to redesign its training platforms. The technicians employed by the airlines pre-COVID-19 received training periodically. The recovery process post-COVID-19 sought to ensure the aviation industry was immune to future possible recurrent pandemics.

Methodology

Introduction

The chapter presents the research plan applied in ensuring the success of the project. Succinctly, it explains the research design applied in ensuring the research objectives are met. The methods of data collection used in gathering data relating to the performance of aviation engineers are elaborated in the chapter. Additionally, the methods used to analyze the collected data and the sampling criteria applied are also given. In summary, the chapter strives to give an elaborate research plan on how the research questions are elaborately answered.

Research Design

The study applies qualitative research design to answer the research questions revolving around the skills of aviation engineers and safety in the industry. The approach was effective because it aided in answering the hows and whys of the phenomena around aviation safety post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the data collected is in written form as the respondents strive to explain why and how deteriorating skills from the technical employees have compromised safety in the sector. Therefore, the qualitative approach is preferable over other designs such as the mixed and quantitative approaches. The chosen design is also applicable because it is less costly, integrates human experience, and can provide specific insight into the industry of interest.

Data Collection Method

The data utilized in the study is collected primarily using open-ended interviews. The method is highly appropriate in the research because thoughts and questions relating to why and how the skills of aviation engineers deteriorated after the pandemic have not been answered. It is also a feasible option because it gives room for integrating experience and assumptions in the research. For instance, through the open-ended interviews, it was possible to consider some of the assumptions for possible decay of skills among the engineers. Furthermore, it was also possible to obtain detailed responses to specific questions and seek clarification on some queries to avoid vagueness. The advantages were instrumental in gathering the information needed to adequately answer the research questions.

Sampling

The data was collected from respondents at Etihad engineering company in the United Arab Emirates. At least ten individuals were interviewed. The sample size was small because collecting data from numerous respondents was impossible due to the Covid restrictions and the need for minimal contact. The managers were preferably chosen as the respondents because they had more insight into the situation and could answer other questions on behalf of the other engineers.

Data analysis

The study has been conducted using an interpretive approach, which aims to understand the world through subjective observation rather than principles. Therefore, the main strategy of data analysis applied in the research is the inductive approach. The inductive approach to data analysis is highly applicable in this research because of the unprecedented nature of the explored situation. The inductive approach assumes that researchers observe certain factors and look for patterns to formulate a general theory (Chandra and Shang, 2018 p.92). Since the aviation industry and engineering, in particular, are the first to face such crises as a consequence of the pandemic, this approach is most appropriate, as it will help identify new trends.

Additionally, since the inductive approach does not deny the application of theories, it was significant because it gave room for developing an in-depth understanding of the topic and allowed generalized observations. Moreover, since one of the study’s objectives is to formulate recommendations for improving the skills of engineers and improving safety in aviation, identifying patterns is necessary to meet problematic aspects. In conclusion, the topic of the deterioration of the skills of aviation engineers due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not been adequately studied, demonstrating the need for an inductive research approach.

Validity

In any research, validity is essential in informing the general acceptance and usage of the research in critical decision-making and recommendations. Validity defines the accuracy of a method in measuring the intended measure (Noble and Smith, 2015). The study is conducted to provide a reference area for the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation sector. It should be acceptable by companies in the aviation sector in decision-making, hence the need for valid results from the analysis. To ensure the acceptability of the results analyzed from the study, the validity of the open-ended interviews was adopted. Research should consider high validity, which implies that the method’s results reflect real variations, characteristics, and properties in the real world. The study considered validity in the early stages of the research while the data collection method was being made. Open-ended interviews were used in collecting the data required in the analysis of the study’s main questions.

The interviews conducted were tuned to ensure the abilities, physical properties, and various psychological traits of workers in the aviation industry are as accurately reflected as possible. Interview questions were well-researched to ensure that they are measures of skill deterioration in aviation engineers. The questions measured engineer skills and abilities based on emotional and physical capabilities, key differentiation factors for engineers. Interviews are most effective in research since they aid in explanations, enhancing understanding, and exploration of participants’ opinions, experiences, and behaviors. The use of open-ended interview questions in the data collection process ensured the collection of in-depth information. High validity was thus considered in the study, ensuring high reliability of the study results.

Reliability

Reliability was a fundamental aspect taken into consideration from the preliminary levels of the study. Reliability in research refers to the consistency of a measure used in gauging a phenomenon (Noble and Smith, 2015). Data obtained from interviews are highly reliable since they are obtained directly from the respondent. Participants’ opinions can be obtained if they speak up and reveal the intended aspects required by the interviewer. A reliable measure gives consistent results under similar circumstances by the same or different people. Interview questions will always provide consistent results since the questions are first-hand and the respondents are the same. A person’s perspective is not about memory; hence, it will give the same answers if interviewed again. Furthermore, the same interview will provide the same results or responses even if different interviewer interviews since it is based on opinions. Consistency of interview results conducted from open-ended interview questions indicates the Reliability of interviews.

Interviews are highly reliable given that the information obtained from the respondents does not revolve around the in-depth analysis. Clarification and confirmation are allowed while conducting interviews, ensuring that correct information from the subject of interest is obtained. While the data features first-hand information, more data was easily obtained from the respondents regarding skills deterioration among workers in aviation. Time and resources could not allow the researcher to conduct all reliability tests, including interrater and internal consistency. However, the researcher conducted a test-retest on one of the respondents on the last day of the data collection process. The results were the same, implying high Reliability of the open-ended interviews conducted for the research. Open-ended interviews were consistently applied on all sampled ten respondents ensuring stable, reproducible, and precise results.

Generalizability

One of the main purposes of research is to provide a reference point for the general population from which a sample study is done. The term generalizability refers to the measure of the usefulness of a study on a broad group of people or situations (Noble and Smith, 2015). Results of a study that can be broadly applicable to many different situations and people have high generalizability. The study aimed to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry. The study results should be able to cut across all businesses in the aviation industry worldwide, no matter the size of companies or types. This requires the use of all-inclusive data and results, which form the general rule or point for decision-making.

Generalizability is the key to research as sample results are transferred to the population into which the sample is drawn. The results must be acceptable for small aviation companies, large aviation companies, private aviation companies, and public or state-owned aviation businesses. The research in the study took a sample from various managers of aviation engineers. The results were weighted based on the generalizability to the specific population it is drawn to. More generalizable research is highly applicable to the general population. The aviation industry is a universal business in which a universal application in which researchers all over have the interest to understand the universal appeal and findings from the research. The researcher ensured generalizability through representative sampling, the right choice of the sampling technique, and appropriate statistical procedures.

Ethical issues

The general acceptability of research is based on ethical considerations of the research on the subject of interest. Ethical issues refer to essential issues needed to be resolved by researchers to enable the research to e ethically acceptable. The main stakeholders in research highly consider ethical issues to provide support. Funding, ethics communities, research communities, educational institutions, and the community are highly concerned with ethical issues in research. The research considered and accepted by such bodies is highly acceptable and considerate in generalization. The research in the study is contextualized in human respondents, which highly require ethical considerations from the researcher. The researcher had the responsibility of understanding the main ethical issues in research to prevent unethical research. Being research hinged on COVID-19, a pandemic that has hit the whole world, ethical considerations were key from the beginning of the research.

The study’s research considered ethical issues that revolved around confidentiality and anonymity, informed consent, dignity, and balance between the research and community. Respondents to research must be assured of protecting their rights upon data provision (Chenneville and Schwartz-Mette, 2020). To consider the right to privacy of humans, information obtained from the respondents on their views on engineer skills was not identified to the public. The interviews were private to ensure that the collected data was stored, used, and reported in a way only the researcher knew the source who was kept anonymous. Before interviews for data collection, the respondents were briefed on the purpose and justification of the study, the potential benefit to the society, confidentiality pledge, research procedures, and voluntary consent to ensure informed consent to the respondents. The researcher provided a disclaimer at the beginning of the interview, highlighting the researcher’s commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of the information offered by the respondents.

The researcher ensured the confidentiality of the respondents as their details were not shared with the public. Assurance of confidentiality was highly observed given the sensitivity of the subject on COVID-19. No personal data such as names and employee numbers were included in the responses. The analysis did not consider such variables in reporting to ensure high-notch confidentiality. Hence, the research considered overall ethical considerations to ensure global acceptability and usage of the research in key decision-making and recommendations in the aviation industry.

Limitations

The study is important in the aviation industry to understand the impact of skill deterioration among aviation engineers after the COVID-19 break. However, the study in the paper was limited in many ways to apply to the whole population. The COVID-19 outbreak in itself was a major limiting factor to the success of the research. The current pandemic was a limitation to the data collection process for the study. Given that the data was primarily obtained through open-ended interviews, few could be conducted in the COVID-19 era. The need for social distancing, limited movements through lockdowns and curfews, and economic hardships characterize the current situation. Contacting respondents was not easy due to limited movement as the researcher could not move all over the population to sample respondents and interview them.

The study researcher could not interview a representative sample since it was large than the sample size used in the study. The cost of data collection greatly limited the data collection process for the study. Interviews are generally expensive since the researcher has to move from one place to another to interview the respondents. The high costs of conducting interviews could not be met; hence only ten interviews were conducted. The interviews were conducted on management to ensure samples were more representative, implying that the results may not be the real representation of individual aviation engineers. The economic hardships brought by the pandemic could not allow the researcher to have enough funds to conduct interviews from a highly representative sample in the aviation industry. The generalizability of a research is based on sample size. However, the sample used was too small to represent the aviation engineers’ population; hence the results cannot be used for broad area generalization in the aviation sector. The research is limited to its applications in other countries as it is locked in the study area, although it is meant for generalization.

Conclusion

The methodology chapter has illustrated the research plan applied in ensuring the success of the project. It has explained the research design which has been applied in ensuring the research objectives are met. A qualitative research design has been applied in the study to ensure high-value information was gathered and analyzed. The methods of data collection used in gathering data relating to the performance of aviation engineers were open-ended interviews conducted on the management respondents in the sampled companies. A sample of 10 respondents randomly sampled from the Etihad engineering company in the United Arab Emirates was used. The method used to analyze the collected data was an inductive approach for interpretive purposes. The validity, reliability, and generalizability of the interview method applied in the study have been considered and reported. Lastly, the limitations to the general application of the study on the population of aviation engineers both nationally and globally have been the cost and COVID-19 disruptions. Generally, the approach to the methodology was justified, and the results in the next section are highly acceptable and considerate of research guidelines.

Results

Introduction

The chapter considers the presentation and interpretation of the findings from the field interviews conducted by the researcher. The research results are presented and discussed according to the research questions written in chapter one of the dissertation. The results and findings are the analyses made on the data obtained from the study respondents. The section presents the results from the data obtained from the respondents without any manipulation. Independent responses were obtained; hence specific considerations are generally provided. The results are provided in sections representing the study’s objectives; hence four sections are provided below. In summary, the chapter generally provides raw results from the interviews collectively analyzed by the researcher. The findings presented are thus opinions from the respondents regarding all questions in the questionnaire.

Impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on engineers’ skills

The study wanted to understand the impact of COVID-19 on aviation engineers’ skills through three interview questions. Most of the respondents responded yes when asked if there have been increased incidents and accidents post COVID-19 outbreak. The study showed that although aviation engineers can handle the same workload or more, increased loads of work with reduced labor are not proportional. A higher percentage of respondents required refresher training once they came back to work after the break as a result of rustiness in their skills. However, respondents who continued service with the cargo airlifting business did not report any rustiness after the break. Conclusively, most aviation engineers who lost employment during the COVID-19 breakout skills deteriorated and had to retrain to catch up.

Impact of deteriorating engineering skills on aviation safety

The study narrowed into the impact of deteriorating engineering skills on aviation safety through two questions. All respondents noted that depreciating skills are the main cause of incidents and serious accidents in the aviation sector which undermine safety in the industry. However, more than two-thirds of the respondents indicated that accidents and serious incidents that occurred post-COVID-19 outbreaks resulted from an increased workload, fatigue, and inadequate resources. The other thirds of the respondents agreed with the research hypothesis that deteriorating engineering skills are the causes of increased accidents and serious incidents in aviation. All of the respondents agreed that there had been increased incidents since the pandemic due to increased workload, fatigue, and deteriorating aviation engineering skills. Deteriorating engineering skills have negatively impacted aviation safety hence the need to address the problem.

Factors influencing the decline of engineers’ skills

The study sought to determine specific factors influencing the decline of engineers’ skills in three interview questions. Two-thirds of the respondents agreed that lack of practice was the cause of deteriorating skills among engineers as flights were suspended. The skills deteriorated as a result of the termination of employment. The other third noted that engineers whose employment was not terminated reported low human errors. The respondents noted that there was a direct link between financial pressures and depreciating skills. The pressures from termination of employment got employers exhausted mentally, contributing to a high number of errors. All participants agreed that the high workload post-COVID-19 resulted in many incidents in aviation.

Measures to be adopted to improve the decayed engineers’ skills

The study sought to determine the measures the aviation industry can adopt to improve the decayed engineers’ skills. The respondents agreed that at least three months could be given to employees to adapt mentally and physically to pre-skills. Again, it was noted that aviation engineers required more training and recovery plans to be adopted to improve the skills they lost. Many companies adopted short-term refresher training and programs to improve the skills while administering safety training on working in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion

The results section has provided the findings from the interviews conducted on the respondents for the research. In four sections, the study objectives have been explored in connection with the study data. It has been noted that most of the aviation engineers who lost employment during the COVID-19 breakout skills deteriorated and had to retrain to catch up. On the impact of deteriorating skills on aviation safety, deteriorating engineering skills have negatively impacted aviation safety. The results also suggested that lack of practice, financial pressures, and high workload were the main factors that influenced the decline of engineers’ skills. Lastly, the respondents agreed that training was the main measures to adopt to improve decayed engineers’ skills.

Discussion

Introduction

The chapter seeks to comprehensively demonstrate while describing and interpreting the significance of the study’s findings. The section seeks to relate to what has already been established about the investigation on the effect of COVID-19 on engineering skills. The section will reflect on the research problem and explain new emerging insights or findings from the research. Similarly, it will connect with the introductory and literature review sections since the chapter will explain the research’s advancement of the learners’ level of understanding about the problem under study.

Additionally, the section will discuss the study’s results and previous related literature, which shows the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation engineers’ skills. Similarly, it will provide the existing gaps and avail the necessary recommendations which might be useful to researchers who may seek to examine the area in future studies. It will therefore be undertaken comprehensively while reflecting on the results acquired during the study process. The discussion will also give a clear insight of the result obtained in reflection to the actual industry.

Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Aviation Sector Engineering Skills

Engineering skills in the aviation industry are an important tool that will facilitate the provision of quality services to consumers and assist in mitigating incidents and risks. COVID-19 pandemic stalled operations in the industry while exposing engineers to minimal periods of practice. On the other hand, the majority were laid-off since airlines were working towards mitigating losses during the pandemic period. Many engineers were believed to develop rustiness since they failed to undertake the relevant training sections, which would make them abreast with the performance of their tasks. Skills proficiency is purported to have reduced among engineers since they fell out of touch with practicing. The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with engineers’ skills deterioration.

Effects of COVID-19 on Incident Cases

COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has had a debilitating effect on the aviation sector, particularly on the engineers’ skills. The responses from the three respondents suggest there was an upsurge of serious incidents likely to have involved a lot of casualties. Related literature suggests that skill proficiency is impacted, an aspect blamed on the absence of airplane handling capabilities among the profession in the aviation industry (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). Resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic period requires the adoption of newer concepts and patterns for learning factored towards safety in the aviation industry. Related literature suggests that the incorporation of a pandemic-resilient industry is essential in ensuring the increased operational difficulty witnessed in the aviation industry has been eradicated through adoption of new technologies, educational trends, and concepts (Sun et al., 2021). Incorporation of a resilient pattern for learning during the COVID-19 pandemic would ensure engineers’ skills during the epidemic period have not been altered by the absence of service dispensation.

Respondents failed to indicate whether there have been any engineers who have complained about skills rustiness. Related literature has shown how pilots have complained and reported about possessing rustiness in skills. The cabin crews have utilized the available platform in the Federal Aviation Administration to anonymously make reports about human and mechanical errors. Despite possessing rustiness in skills, there have not been any fatal incidents and accidents. The reported errors include failure to disengage parking brake during take-off; selecting the wrong runways; forgetting to administer the anti-icing device; and taking an approximated three trials to properly land an aircraft during a windy day (Aviation trends post COVID-19: Nine issues to watch as the industry prepares for take-off, 2021). When performing a task, the possession of rustiness increases the elements of professionals being involved in fatal incidents while exposing the passengers too.

According to some respondents, the fatal incidents have been a result of witnessed engineers’ inability to practice effectively. Related literature indicates that skill proficiency decays in areas associated with factors such as time management; reduces awareness of situations; delay in taking appropriate action in an emergence-seeking scenario; and failure to apply safety mitigation elements (EASA, 2021). Failure to practice while performing duties affects engineers’ skills capabilities. According to Sun et al. (2021), advancement in the aviation industry’s automation platform creates the ability to inter-relate with the machines while conducting a thorough supervision ability for conclusive execution will be critical for the sector’s future. The engineers’ ability to interact with essential aviation tools will assist them to either possess proficiency in their skills or lose their accuracy standards.

The process of hiring new engineers during the recovery period in the aviation industry is likely to witness the intake of personnel with degraded skills. Related literature suggests that engineers’ skills degradation inhibits the quality-of-service dispensation while exposing the aircraft to elements of engine failures, an attribute which might cause incidents and accidents (Krejsa, Němec, and Hrdinová, 2018). The engineers’ skills degradation is characterized by the inability to appropriately follow procedures that would have been essential in mitigating engine failure. Related literature has suggested that pilots have shown a deficiency in following procedures for single machines, which have been associated with aircrafts’ twin-engine failures (Boyd, 2017). It is perceived the procedures may be altered over due to their operational capabilities. According to EASA (2021), updated and newer operating procedures development has been contributed by the need to cope with changing designs in the operational capabilities of aircraft.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Engineers’ Workload

The assessment of the ability to handle the aviation workload by engineers reveals the capability of amply managing the tasks. According to Belhadia et al. (2020), the COVID-19 pandemic affected and disrupted all the supply chains in the aviation sector, both the service and manufacturing areas. Workload overload brought about by COVID-19 tends to generate stress among the engineers. Related literature indicates that the aviation engineers’ productivity during the pandemic has been found to be impacted by job stress, which is perceived to alter their performance in the aviation industry, is built (Widodo et al., 2020). Overworking results in stress, which is a cause of alarm in the aviation industry. According to the National Business Aviation Authority (2021), the ability of an aviation staff to be fit for duty remains the core foundation of mitigating incidents since the focus is on fatigue, mental, and physical health. Suitability for duty in a demanding working environment entails engineers to be mental, physical, and clear mind to ensure the aviation industry’s safety.

The respondents suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in workload; thereby, the labor loss failed to impact their management capabilities. Related literature suggests that airlines are likely to incorporate mechanisms such as single-piloting operations, which are more likely to be affected by saturation while undertaking the task (National Business Aviation Association, 2021). The increase in job saturation has been found to increase proportionally with the number of times errors are made. Elias (2021) suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the acceleration in the retirement of less effective and older aircraft to facilitate fleet streamlining by ensuring different types of planes have been reduced. The move would impact the aviation engineers since it will prompt the industry to realign their qualifications and skills with changes in their fleet composition.

On the other hand, some respondents claim the workload was overwhelming. Related literature suggests that certain outlined procedures fitting a particular plane are performed (Serrano and Kazda, 2021). The procedure varies with each aircraft calling for the engineers’ attention to the hardware and software components while facilitating the process of securing the aircraft to ensure ease during restoration. According to EASA (2021), post-COVID-19 period has witnessed an increase in traffic resulting to pressure on the maintenance engineers who in turn might resolve to employ unprocedural mechanism in completing aircrafts’ checks and approvals. COVID-19 has made the aviation engineers have task overload, which may alter their skills proficiency during the scheduled maintenance since they might be damaging the aircraft instead of securing it. According to Nhamo, Dube, and Chikodzi (2020), the COVID-19 pandemic forced the aviation industry to cost-cut on their expenditure, a move that forced it to close sections of airports globally. The closed sections were either closed unprocedural without following the necessary maintenance steps or foresaw periods of work overload among the aviation engineers.

Related literature requires the maintenance engineers to quickly adapt the training programs while reviewing the instructions and procedures to highlight unclear and unfamiliar sessions of the task to be undertaken. The reviews by the engineers will assist them in planning their work and reduce the work tempo while allowing for essential communication coupled with relevant support, sign-offs, and inspections (EASA, 2021). Projections have shown how the COVID-19 pandemic would reduce the engineer’s workforce since there are continued elements of retention and recruitments. Elias (2021) suggests that there would be an increased aircraft outsourcing maintenance facility overseas since the aviation industry is faced with challenges resulting from engineers’ technical skills transfers to other industries. The aviation industry is likely to be hit by a shortage of engineering personnel who seem to prefer other airlines working environments and wages.

Other respondents associate the incidents with an overwhelming workload emanating from massive loss of labor coupled with distractions and inadequate resources for engineering activities. Related literature has shown how there exists a close association between accident prevention mechanisms, the management, and the staff. The inter-relation creates an allowance for all the parties within the entire framework to clearly explore and know the state of the system being used (Thoroman et al., 2018). Despite COVID-19 stalling activities in the aviation industry, the post-pandemic period has strained and forced the remaining staff to handle tasks in all sections. The absence of staff in some sections of the aviation industry has created a massive workload that has stretched and made the engineers overwork beyond their terms of the agreement in the contract of service.

According to EASA (2021), personnel skills in the aviation industry are dependent on their mental capability mechanisms for undertaking a massive number of responsibilities successfully in the absence of being overloaded. The respondents suggest that the overwhelming and demanding workload has contributed to many increasing aviation incidents. The engineers make massive errors during maintenance practices. According to Thoroman et al. (2018), incidents can be effectively mitigated by developing a communication network allowing for receiving timely instructions and feedback while sealing the control loops across and within different levels. The article further suggests that the aviation industry’s factors in a system interrelate to migrate into pushing the structure away from safety sections, therefore preventing incidents. Personnel with the unsound mind are unsuitable to effectively accomplish the duties they are required to perform by the airline.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Financial Support

The three respondents saw financial infringements among the aviation industry engineers to impact and decay their skills. Related literature has shown that aviation tools necessary for proper piloting skills maintenance to the required threshold are expensive (Olaganathan and Amihan, 2021). COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of income for those laid-off while the retained engineers had to cope with the undertaken pay cut.

According to Abate, Christidis, and Purwanto (2020), COVID-19 has left many airlines in a financial crisis exposing private aircraft owners to exit the industry while state-owned airlines will be the only ones to operate. Lack and reduction of finances for engineers are suggested to possess no impact on the engineering skills since associated restlessness caused by stress, exhaustion, and mental problems are blamed for errors instead of skill decay. Boyd (2017) suggests that technological advancements abet and call for financial requirements seeking to boost pilot skills through necessary training programs. The mitigation of future disruptions of aviation industry activities has sought a long-lasting solution. According to Belhadi et al. (2021), the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the incorporation of a move to adopt and facilitate digital transformation in nearly all the sections encompassed within the aviation industry. A digitalized system would ensure the exposed aviation industry’s supply chain structural flaws have been completely sealed.

Related literature suggests that the cost of maintaining an aircraft’s engine is expensive and forms a sensitive and variable part for operational standards. It, therefore, requires airlines to reflect on the essential aspects of the operation to ensure the adjustment of the aviation industry’s leverage (Serrano and Kazda, 2021). The pandemic led to a need for more funding to ensure the mitigation process was effectively taken care of. Inadequate funds meant that the engineers associated with the engineering levels of the aviation industry were at risk of being infected with the virus. Related literature suggests that appropriate partnership programs had to emerge to facilitate the provision of finance and resources necessary for dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 at all levels, such as international, national, and regional (Nhamo, Dube, and Chikodzi, 2020). Inability to possess enough funds for dealing with the pandemic creates a stressful environment for the engineers who end up compromising their proficiency.

Effects of COVID-19 on Engineers’ Skills

The majority of the respondents insist there were no engineers who complained about exhibiting rustiness in their skills post-COVID-19 since the operation in the aviation sector never seized totally. Related literature asserts that the unfamiliarity to accomplish a task successfully has been associated with the post-COVID-19 period where the majority of aircraft had been preserved and stored for an undetermined time frame with inadequate clarity to scheduling for performing maintenance (EASA, 2021). Respondents claim that operations involving cargo transportation continued at an increased rate since it involved a shipment of medical equipment and supplies. According to Dube et al. (2021), aviation has been essential in supplying pharmaceutical commodities required for COVID-19 mitigation. Therefore, the engineers complained about the distraction and fatigue associated with the workload.

Some respondents claim their service period was disrupted during the pandemic period while post-COVID-19 saw them being deployed and had to be passed through refresher training sections essential to assist in skills sharpening. According to Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang (2021), the incorporation of blended study strategies eliminating the elements of physical interaction but encouraging human-computer platforms creates a promising learning process for the aviation industry. The increase in the number of incidents has been associated with the errors exhibited by the engineers whose contracts were terminated together with emotional and mental aspects arising from overworking. Related literature suggests that the aviation industry’s system is dynamic and complex, which is influenced by emergent contexts and competing work pressures (Thoroman et al., 2018). Therefore, necessary engineering skills are required to be incorporated into the system with essential practices to overcome the pressures while codifying the defenses for mitigating incidents. According to the National Business Aviation Authority (2021), the aviation industry engineers procedural non-compliance with regulations is considered to be a major contributing aspect in aircraft incidents.

The respondents suggested that lack of practice among the sacked engineers contributed to skills deterioration while exposing them to elements of making errors. Widodo et al. (2021) suggest that the engineering skills of aviation professionals increase with productivity. They perceived those engineers who were never sacked as failing to possess any faults since their engineering skills might still be effective. Related literature suggests major accidents have been a result of piloting errors and their related human mistakes (Krejsa, Němec, and Hrdinová, 2018). The retained engineers were operational during the pandemic since they dispensed their expertise on the operating cargo aircraft. According to EASA (2021), an experienced period where it is reduced or no particular activity is taking place inhibits further development of proficiency and expertise among professions in the aviation industry.

The sacking of some aviation personnel resulted in relocation, transfers, and re-assignment of the remaining staff to fill the critical positions left vacant. Related literature suggests that shuffling of engineering personnel such as pilots and first officers ultimately alters their skills and would likely trigger the need for major training sessions to ensure smooth operation of the staff in the area they have been assigned (Elias, 2021). Provision of training sessions to suit the requirement and needs of the personnel when operating an aircraft minimizes incidents while ensuring the security of the airline’s aircraft. According to EASA (2021), it would be necessary to utilize competency-based training sessions since it focuses on the desirable proficiencies while aiming to maintain the expertise of personnel by determining the appropriate training time and amount. The possession of necessary qualifications among the engineers during the post-COVID-19 period requires the advancement of skills through staff training to reduce the ability to compromise proficiency effectiveness and quality.

The respondents suggest there exists a possibility of improving the engineers’ skills to the anticipated threshold within three months since measures have already been undertaken. It is believed normalcy will avail an opportunity for the aviation industry to align training programs and plans seeking to increase traffic in the future. Belhadia et al. (2020), suggests that there exists a higher likelihood of the affected sectors witnessing a robust and faster recovery while trying to effect resumptions of operations. Some respondents believe skill improvement among engineers would take more time since COVID-19 effects have been extensive. Similarly, respondents indicated the introduction of refresher programs for training by the airline to sharpen the aviation engineers’ skills faster. Related literature suggests that the aviation industry may fail to invest the required money willingly into the gamification of human resources (Sun, Wandelt, and Zhang, 2021). Some respondents downplayed the formulation of such programs but insisted on the availability of short courses seeking to maintain safety.

The aviation industry future is at stake currently since the outbreak of COVID-19 has prompted major operations to be stopped. Related literature suggests that nearly one-third of the world’s major businesses have witnessed suspension of operations, an aspect which may be disastrous because income-generating activities have seized (Xiang et al., 2021). It is perceived parking of aircraft for longer periods without being put in use exposes it to risk. Related literature suggests that there exist certain procedures to be followed by airlines before their aircraft are stored and parked. The parking of aircraft exposes it to risks of failing to be properly secured, an element that might expose it to malfunctioning when it resumes operations (Serrano and Kazda, 2021). The inappropriate storage of aircraft during the COVID-19 period is likely to reduce the airworthiness of the airlines’ planes when services resume post-COVID-19.

Limitations and Desire for Future Research

As is the case with many works of research, the paper has witnessed a number of limitations, creating a provision for future examinations. The study’s main limitation is the unavailability of contacting many and critical respondents who might have been essential to provide more information about engineers’ skills. Similarly, the study failed to rely on engineering reports which would have been essential in assisting the researcher in identifying likely errors arising from skills deterioration. The report would be an ideal data source since they are likely to be retrieved from the investigative and aviation bodies such as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), and Bureau d’Equetes et d’Analyses (BEA).

Although the research has established the COVID-19 pandemic on the engineers’ skills, there is still no validity of how the information relating to personnel proficiency can become unidentified. Similarly, it is unclear to which extent engineers’ skills deterioration aspects have been represented during the data collection process within the aviation industry, specifically in Etihad engineering company suited in the United Arab Emirates. However, similar aspects touching on the engineers’ skills were explored across all the systems utilized within the aviation industry.

Future studies should undertake a similar investigation in regards to other airlines such as Lufthansa Airways operating across the globe to ensure there exist elements of comparison for the air services providers during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Similarly, studies on engineers’ skills during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period should focus on normal engineering work to facilitate the identification and measurement of their performance through the utilization of relevant tools within the system as a whole. Reports which relate to engineers’ skills should be used as a starting point for commencing the discovery enshrined within the aviation industry while supporting proficiency to establish whether it deteriorated or not after the COVID-19 period has elapsed.

It should be noted that an aircraft’s involvement in incidents may be associated with longer periods of parking rather than maintenance mishaps. The period of long-term storage and parking due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a subject which creates room for further examination and research. Future research should categorize and examine individual sections such as piloting, maintenance, or air traffic controls, but dependent on engineers’ skills to facilitate ample and thorough investigation in relation to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Researches on individual sections will be essential in revealing which sections depending on the engineers’ skills, were impacted most by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The financial crisis in fails to reflect the engineers’ skills deterioration during the COVID-19 period. Instead, it only touches on the airlines’ shortcomings caused by the inability to secure the funding necessary to ensure proper maintenance practices for their aircraft. Future research needs to be done to establish the impacts of financial cushioning from external sources in relation to engineers’ skills deterioration. The respondents had claimed there is a probability of the sacked engineers’ skills deteriorating, given that their sources of income had been halted. A study conducted to assert the claim either provides proof of the same or fails to concur with the assertion. Similarly, a study needs to be carried out to examine whether the introduction of policies post-COVID-19 pandemic would improve engineers’ skills, especially for the individuals laid off during the epidemic period.

Studies need to be conducted to establish whether the engineers’ skills deterioration maybe because of the conducted pay cut. The COVID-19 pandemic registered a massive revenue loss across the aviation industry. The decision to reduce wages was trying to lower leverage incorporated in the operational levels by airlines while overlooking the impact it might have caused to the affected employees. Therefore, a research should be performed to determine whether engineers’ skills deterioration is a result of the reduced salaries and wages.

Conclusion

Engineers’ skills are a fundamental aspect impacting the provision of quality services to the airline and ensuring the safety of all the elements interacting in the aviation industry. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the engineers’ skills greatly. Engineers’ skills deterioration has been attributed and blamed on the witnessed global closure and disruptions of aircraft operations. The abrupt halt in aviation activities has seen a massive loss of jobs and revenues while disrupting vital global supply chains. Nearly all the aircrafts had been grounded and parked during the COVID-19 period since many countries resolved to minimize interaction between their citizens and the rest of the world. Lay-offs left the remaining engineering personnel with a massive workload to be performed. Each aircraft possesses specific procedures before they are parked and stored for a period of time. Engineers had to follow and perform the procedures for many aircrafts, an element that would result in job stress and fatigue. Similarly, mental and physical incapability may prompt the engineers to make errors likely to result in a fatal incident.

Skills degradation has also been blamed on staying out of service for long. It is suggested that a period of minimal and/or lack of aviation activities greatly impacts engineers’ skills and has barred the development of additional proficiency and expertise. The closure of training facilities would prove disastrous since most professionals lack a platform to attend training and refresher courses. Similarly, lack of finances has been blamed for under-performance since an airline may fail to incorporate the relevant required procedures by the aviation authority while the affected staff will be subjected to stress, a factor inhibiting his/her performance standards. The demanding prospects of a task coupled with a reduced pay-cut are detrimental to the engineers who may feel dejected and demoralized towards offering their best. A successful recovery process will require the aviation industry to formulate the necessary strategies to ensure safe operations in the sector.

Conclusion

Introduction

The research has conducted an analysis of articles that were found to relate to engineers’ skills deterioration during the COVID-19 pandemic period. It further aims to regain insights into sentimental and thematic sections in the engineers’ skills within the aviation industry during and after the epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has unpredictably and unprecedently impacted engineers’ skills in the aviation industry. Engineers’ skills deterioration is a cause of alarm for the safe operation in the aviation industry post COVID-19 period. Related examination has provided a clear insight into how skills deteriorate and degrade after being exposed to disuse.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck the world towards the end of 2019 and led to the distraction of the economy. Among the greatly affected sectors, the aviation industry was the worst. Movement was restricted from one area to another to contain the spread of the virus. The declaration of the COVID-19 crisis as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) changed many things in the world’s economy. People’s lifestyles were altered as a result of restrictions on movement and interactions. Most businesses closed temporarily, while others shut down entirely due to a lack of capital and human resources. Cessation of movement from one region to another shut down the transport sector, including the aviation industry. While passenger aircraft could not move, few cargo flights continued running in the aviation industry.

This study examined engineers’ skills deterioration caused by the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19. Depreciation of aviation engineers’ skills led to several incidents after the resumption of operations. Therefore, the research tries to develop an in-depth understanding of the issue to help improve aviation safety through various recommendations. Notably, the aviation industry is pegged on safety hence the need for on-point skills for practice engineers. There has been low consideration of the impact of COVID-19 on the skills of aviation engineers and pilots. The research explored safety in the aviation sector to develop a holistic understanding of its impact and ways of improving it. Safety has been substantially affected in the industry across various angles. Apart from the health risks associated with COVID-19, there are other significant safety issues in the aviation industry. Following several months of lockdown, most of the employees in the aviation industry came back to work when they had significantly reduced their sharpness.

The research’s problem statement revealed that there had been limited research that had been done to investigate and understand the impact of skill deterioration among aviation engineers after COVID-19 break. The study looked to close the gap in the available literature by investigating the impact of reduced skills among aviation engineers. The end result of the study was to reflect on addressing the problem concerning deteriorating skills. Since safety is an essential aspect of the aviation industry, there must be high-level safety considerations at all times in the sector. The first step to providing solutions to the problem was exploring the potential cause of problems in the industry. The study examined the causes of the failures, accidents, and serious incidents in the practice of duties after the break after COVID-19. Failures resulting from deficient engineers’ skills in the sector can be detrimental to the lives of the people on board and the economic stability of the companies.

The research worked on achieving research objectives stated before the study. The study’s general objective was to identify the engineers’ skills deterioration caused by the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 led to several incidents post back to operation to improve aviation safety. Specifically, the research explored six different objectives. The first objective was to investigate the impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on engineers’ skills. The second objective was to explore the impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on the deterioration of engineers’ skills. The third objective was to examine the impact of deteriorating engineering skills on aviation safety. The fourth objective was to analyze the factors influencing the decline of engineers’ skills. The fifth objective was to investigate factors contributing to the keeping and improving engineers’ skills during the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19. The last objective was to develop recommendations to help maintain the skills of engineers during the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19. The objectives were the foundation of the analysis in the research.

There was need to obtain the desired results that could help to meet all the objectives formulated the study. The main aim was to identify the engineers’ skills deterioration caused by the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 which probably led to several incidents after resumption of operations. The first objective was to investigate the impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on engineers’ skills. Secondly, it was vital to explore the impact of the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19 on the deterioration of engineers’ skills. The third objective was to examine the impact of deteriorating engineering skills on aviation safety. The fourth objective was to analyze the factors influencing the decline of engineers’ skills. The last objective was to develop recommendations to help maintain the skills of engineers after the suspension of flight operations due to COVID-19. The objectives were the foundation of the analysis in the research.

The objectives of the research were built from the hypotheses of the study as proposed by the researcher. The hypotheses were highlighted in the form of research questions whose answers were sought through data collection and analysis in the research. The first research question inquired if the suspension of flight operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the skills of aviation engineers. The second question explored on the connection between deteriorating engineering skills and aviation safety in the industry. The third research question sought to find the specific factors that influence the deterioration of engineers’ skills during the break. The last research question, whose answer was sought, inquired measures that could be adopted to improve the skills of the decayed engineers. The research questions were discussed in the results section after the analysis was conducted from the collected data.

The researcher based the objectives on available literature on COVID-19 impacts in the aviation sector. The literature review section explores other related studies on the aviation industry while adhering to the research topic. Various pieces of literature on aviation safety were explored. Safety in the aviation industry revolves around accidents, serious incidents, failures, and errors within the aviation engineers and pilots. The researcher examined the trends and occurrence of such incidents before lockdown measures during COVID-19 when normal services were restored. During the post-pandemic period failures, several setbacks, such as engineers’ skill deterioration emanating from worldwide flight operation suspension, were explored. Threats to aviation safety were also explored through a review of the available literature. It was established that the aviation industry faces threats associated with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The vulnerability of the aviation industry to external threats such as pandemics has greatly contributed to the cancellation of flights, closure of borders, travel bans, and grounding of aircraft. Incidents are likely to occur since there exists a shortage of engineering personnel in certain sections of the aviation industry.

The research explored the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry using available literature support. The investigation involved the general impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry business and the economy at large. The impacts of COVID-19 on engineering skills and performance post-COVID-19 pandemic break were also conducted with the support of the available literature. The available literary materials were instrumental in creating insight regarding solutions for future pandemic management in the aviation industry. The exploration of the five sections with the support of available literature illustrates how the occurrence of COVID-19 across the globe has contributed to the deterioration of skills in engineering personnel. The challenges facing aviation, specifically regarding personnel skill deterioration, have made the aviation industry incur hefty revenue loss because of the need to redesign its training platforms. The recovery process post-COVID-19 sought to ensure the aviation industry was immune to future possible recurrent pandemics.

The methodology adopted was critical in explaining and elaborating the research designs applied by the researcher in the collection of data to support the study. The methodology chapter has illustrated the research plan applied in ensuring the success of the project. It has explained the research design which has been applied in ensuring the research objectives are met. The data collection methods adopted by the researcher have been explained together with the justifications for the chosen method. The sampling methods and the sample size chosen for the study have been discussed and their impact on the results obtained. The data analysis methods and approaches to the data collected have been discussed in the section. The validity, reliability, and generalizability methods of the research in the real world have also been explored. The methodology chapter concludes with ethical issues and the limitations of the research towards application in various sections and scenarios.

A qualitative research design was applied in the study, which ensured high-value information was obtained, gathered, and analyzed. The methods of data collection used in gathering data relating to the performance of aviation engineers were open-ended interviews conducted on the management employee respondents in the aviation companies. A sample of 10 respondents randomly sampled from the Etihad engineering company in the United Arab Emirates was used. The analysis was conducted interpretively with the inductive approach method specifically used to analyze the collected data. The validity, reliability, and generalizability were high, increasing the acceptability and broad application of the research in the aviation industry. The limitations to the general application of the study on the population of aviation engineers both nationally and globally have been the cost involved and COVID-19 disruptions. Generally, the approach to the methodology was justified implying the results were highly acceptable and considerate of research guidelines.

The findings of the analysis conducted on the collected data were presented in the results section. The chapter contain the presentations and interpretation of the findings. The research results are presented according to the research questions outlined before the study to compare the findings with the hypothesized outcomes. The results were presented without bias other than analyzed respondents, obtained from the independent respondents to ensure specific considerations were only provided. The results were provided in four sections corresponding to the study’s objectives. Generally, raw results from the interviews collectively analyzed by the researcher were presented.

It has been noted that most of the aviation engineers who lost employment during the COVID-19 breakout skills deteriorated and had to retrain to catch up. On the impact of deteriorating skills on aviation safety, deteriorating engineering skills have negatively impacted aviation safety. The results also suggested that lack of practice, financial pressures, and high workload were the main factors that influenced the decline of engineers’ skills. Lastly, the respondents agreed that time and trainings were the crucial measures to adopt to improve the decayed engineers’ skills.

The last section discussed the results, which comprehensively demonstrated, described, and interpreted the significance of the study’s findings. In the section, a relation was made to what had already been established about the investigation on the effect of COVID-19 on engineering skills. The researcher reflects on the research problem and explains new emerging insights or findings from the research. A connection is made between the introduction and the literature review sections as the chapter explains the research’s advancement of the learners’ level of understanding about the problem under study. There have been discussions on the effects of a COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation sector engineering skills, effects of COVID-19 on incident cases, effects of COVID-19 on the engineers’ workload, effects of COVID-19 on the financial support, effects of COVID-19 on engineers’ skills, and limitations and desire for future research.

Recommendations

The study was carried out in the Etihad engineering company in the United Arab Emirates. It utilized various pieces of literature done by various scholars on the topic of COVID-19 and aviation safety. To this end, the scope of the study was relatively small and could have significant implications on the reliability of the findings. It is recommended to conduct the study using data from companies in the aviation industries to make more accurate and broader conclusions. The same data collected from Etihad engineering company should be obtained from other countries outside Qatar and preferably outside the Middle East because the study is focused on the impact of engineer’s skill deterioration in aviation industry on the global scale.

Replication of such a study would require more respondents for representation; hence it is recommended to have more funding for the research. Additionally, studies need to be conducted to establish the main cause of the pay cut which is experienced by the engineers. Again, research should be performed to determine whether engineers’ skills deterioration results from reduced salaries and wages. However, despite the fact that more funding may be required to ensure a broader research on the subject, it is important to ensure that the resources obtained do not interfere with the integrity of the findings obtained. Any funding that might compromise the outcomes of the research must be avoided because they will in-turn result in controversial result.

Similarly, it is recommended that more studies on engineers’ skills during the post COVID-19 pandemic be done to focus on normal engineering work. Such research will aid in the facilitation, the identification, and measurement of employees’ performance through the utilization of relevant tools within the system as a whole. These studies should be conducted in a timely fashion to restore optimal operations in the company. Again, the research should be done from reputable sources such as the peer reviewed journals that have been published in the most recent times.

It is necessary to research individual categories in examining individual sections such as piloting, maintenance, or air traffic controls, but dependent on engineers’ skills to facilitate ample and thorough investigation concerning the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researches on individual sections will be essential in revealing which sections, depending on the engineers’ skills, were impacted most by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There studies must be done accurately and it is important to involve qualified professionals to review the findings and ascertain that the findings obtained are accurate and appropriate to be applied in the industry.

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