Organizational Resilience and the AIrline Industry: A Qualitative Study

Airlines frequently experience several disruptive events that can substantially deviate operations from planned routines, resulting in significant losses. It's crucial for airlines to develop resources and consistently identify opportunities for adaptation to these unpredictable circumstances. Despite predetermined plans for specific situations often exist, there is often a lack of policy-level guidelines for preparing for unknown circumstances— a concept known as resilience policy. This study delves into the constructs of resilience policy by drawing insights from 10 semi-structured interviews conducted with executives from 6 airline companies in Turkey. The findings pinpoint seven key criteria that offer a roadmap for effective policy development: financial management, flexibility and adaptability, effective risk management, strong leadership and culture, talent management, robust IT infrastructure, and collaborative partnerships. These criteria collectively provide a roadmap for developing policies that enhance an airline's ability to manage unexpected disruptions efficiently.