THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 OUTBREAK ON THE AVIATION INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF QATAR AIRWAYS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Before the World War II, the aviation has a niche place in the transportation industry. Today, air transportation is recognized as the most effective and preferred mode of transportation for the nation. Different countries and communities from various parts of the world are connected with passenger and cargo flights despite the distance. The rapid development of the aviation industry is relying on the technological improvements (National Research Council, 2002. p. 5). The aviation industry has been challenged and has been followed by ups and downs. The historical growth of the aviation industry is marked from the mid-1990s to the beginning of the new millennium. The growth of airlines was sustained based on several happenings such as globalization that increased the demand for air travel, a new economy, and increasing GDP worldwide. However, this rapid progress of the industry has not been continuous. At the beginning of 2000, this growth phase slowed down, and several happenings had negative impacts on the aviation industry. The economic stagnation, terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the SARS virus in 2003 aggravated the situation. Probably, the airline industry has faced the most challenging period in 2004. The whole industry was through uncertainty and even the major airlines were not able to predict anything further (Cento, 2009. p. 3). Air travel is a large and growing industry. It is common knowledge that aviation has been one of the key contributors to economic growth. Air travel is expected to grow further due to increased population and more reliable aircraft in the air. Air travel is now becoming more affordable, and many people are eager to travel which was a dream for them previously. An introduction of the middle class in many countries has supported the airline industry in terms of leisure and business travel. Low-cost airlines are the main source of international travel, and many people are now able to travel by air (Sikander, 2019. p. 1). In the past, one of the biggest challenges for the aviation industry has been safety and security concerns of the people towards air transportation. By time, more reliable aircrafts, engines, and aircraft components appeared that changed the safety perception of the aircrafts dramatically. Many accidents have been avoided as a result of improved safety and security systems. The fatality rate has been considerably reduced making air travel safer for passengers. 2017 has been the safest year for air travel, therefore, fatalities fell to 79 deaths compared to 1000 deaths in 2005 (Sikander, 2019. p. 2).

Keywords

• qatar airways
• COVID-19
• aviation
• crisis

COVID-19 SALGINININ HAVACILIK SEKTÖRÜNE ETKİLERİ: COVID-19 SALGINI SIRASINDA QATAR AIRWAYS ÖRNEĞİ

Öz

Dünya ekonomisi tarih boyunca, terör saldırıları, hastalıklar, ekonomik krizler gibi birçok olumsuz olayla karşılaşmış, bu olaylar dünya genelinde birçok sektörü etkilemiştir. Özellikle ikinci dünya savaşı sonrasından itibaren dünya ekonomisine yoğun katkı sağlayan havacılık sektörü de bu olumsuz gelişmelerden en çok etkilenen sektörlerin başında gelmektedir. Örneğin, 2000'li yıllardan sonra yaşanan 11 Eylül 2001 terör saldırıları, 2003 Irak savaşı, SARS salgını ve son zamanlardaki COVID-19 salgını gibi hadiseler tüm sektörlerde olduğu gibi havacılık sektöründe de uzun süreli sıkıntılara sebep olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı, son iki yılda tüm dünyaya yayılan COVID-19 pandemisinin havacılık endüstrisindeki etkilerini ve sektörün pandeminin etkisini en aza indirmek için izlediği stratejileri incelemektir. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünde 2000 yılından sonra meydana gelmiş bazı krizleri sektör üzerindeki etkisi ikincil veriler ve sektör raporları kullanılarak analiz edilmiş sonrasında ise vaka çalışması ve SWOT analizi yoluyla Qatar Airways’in COVID-19 pandemisi karşısında izlediği ve izleyebileceği stratejiler ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları pandeminin sektör üzerindeki etkisini azaltmak için havacılık sektöründeki diğer şirketlerin izleyebilecekleri stratejilerle ilgili önemli ipuçları sağlamaktadır

Anahtar Kelimeler

• qatar airways
• covid-19
• havacilik
• kriz

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