Safety as Airline Business Aspect

Safety as Airline Business Aspect: From Data to Action by A Value Model for Big Data and Feedback Method for Small FlightStories

Dijkstra, A. (TU Delft Control & Simulation)

Dekker, S.W.A. (promotor)
Stoop, J.A.A.M. (promotor)

Delft University of Technology

2023-06-09

This thesis proposes the of integrating safety, economics, and passenger experience and draws on the author's research and experience in aviation to develop a more comprehensive approach to airline business management. The research closes the gap between business and Safety Management Systems in airlines by introducing two novel and complementary concepts: the Airline Value Production Management Model and FlightStory as a tool to enable pilots as intelligent feedback providers.
The thesis discusses two interconnected research projects aimed at improving safety and efficiency in airline operations. The first project, AVPMM, focuses on network performance management, while the second project, FlightStory, aims to empower flight crew as intelligent feedback providers.
This research thesis focuses on airline safety and value production management, with an emphasis on using big data and feedback methods to improve safety and value production. The author presents a specific solution called FlightStory, which empowers flight crew as intelligent feedback providers. The thesis includes a literature review, research questions and methods, and an evaluation of FlightStory's effectiveness. The AVPMM model is proposed as a logical extension of the increase of lower specific levels into network, region, route, and flight. The thesis also discusses the challenges of conducting research in a company context and provides recommendations for further research.
The author shares three war stories from their experience in the aviation industry, highlighting common problems in safety management during flight operations and how it relates to network business decisions. The author aims to develop a new solution for integrating safety and business management in international commercial aviation.
The thesis discusses the challenges of current feedback systems in aviation safety reporting, including the reductionist approach, the lack of qualitative data, and the bias towards Safety-I events. The review suggests the need for a reporting system that collects organizational factors and takes safety out of its silo and into the context of other key performance indicators. The author developed an app designed to collect FlightStory data from the crew, inspired by sensemaking and storytelling concepts.
The thesis proposes an Airline Value Production Model for managing safety in the business context of value production. The review also discusses the lack of an explicit value production model and the need to manage safety as a business aspect, integrated with other essential variables such as economy and customer experience.
The research projects provide innovative feedback methods and an integrated approach to value production management, which can be viewed as disruptive innovations. The thesis concludes with a vision of a Value Production Centre (VPC) that integrates business and safety management using the AVPMM model. The VPC aims to provide a holistic approach to value production management, where safety is not just a compliance issue and operational constraint but an integral part of the business strategy. The thesis provides a valuable contribution to the aviation industry by proposing a new approach to safety management that integrates with business management and value production. The FlightStory app and AVPMM model offer practical solutions for improving safety and efficiency in airline operations, and the research provides a foundation for further development and implementation of these solutions.

Safety
Safety Management
Storytelling
Airline Management
Cybernetics
Value production
Integrated Management

https://doi.org/10.4233/uuid:64c9ded0-950e-4e9f-8032-c691ae6c8deb

978-94-93315-71-6

Institutional Repository

doctoral thesis

© 2023 A. Dijkstra