The role of emotional and social intelligence in ensuring the safety of civil aviation flights

The subject of this study is the set of psychological characteristics of emotional and social intelligence of civil aviation pilots, considered as key personal resources that influence flight safety. The analysis focuses on components of emotional intelligence such as the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of other crew members, as well as the structure of social intelligence, which includes the ability to predict the behavior of others, interpret non-verbal signals, and effectively interact in collaborative activities. Special attention is given to the study of the relationship between these types of intelligence and the professionally important qualities of pilots—stress resilience, communication competence, and emotional stability—which directly ensure reliability in extreme flight conditions. The research also addresses the issue of the balance between empathy and emotional self-regulation, as well as the question of the relative autonomy of independence as a personality trait from the level of development of socio-emotional competencies. Thus, the work clarifies the role of emotional and social intelligence in the structure of professional reliability of aviation specialists. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 240 pilots using validated psychodiagnostic methods by Ljusin, Guilford, Nemchin, Taylor, and Fetiskin, followed by statistical data processing. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the empirical confirmation of the specificity of the manifestation of emotional and social intelligence in the professional activities of civil aviation pilots. For the first time, strong positive correlations were quantitatively established on a Russian sample between emotional intelligence and emotional stability (r = 0.75), as well as between social intelligence and stress resilience (r = 0.62). A previously unreported weak negative relationship between both types of intelligence and sensitivity (r from -0.25 to -0.28) was identified, allowing for the clarification of the role of empathy in high-risk professions: excessive emotional involvement can reduce the effectiveness of activities. It is justified that emotional and social intelligence serve as significant predictors of flight safety by contributing to the reduction of human errors, improving communication within the crew, and enhancing adaptation to stress. The practical conclusion includes recommendations for incorporating programs for the development of these competencies into the system of professional selection and psychological training of flight personnel.