Dear Colleagues,

Aviation has promoted the creation of wealth and economic development by improving connectivity of regions, global mobility of people and goods, and technological and business innovation. Worldwide air traffic doubles consistently every 15 years, and growth seems to be resilient to all sort of external shocks. This constant growth also brings increasing greenhouse emissions and contributes to global warming. Over the years, technological advances have been substantial but environmental improvements in technology and market mechanisms have been offset by the resilient growth of industry.

In this context, the environment has quickly become a significant source of risk for the airline business. Firstly, the frequency and severity of extreme weather events linked to global climate change are on the rise and are increasingly impacting airline operations worldwide. Secondly, uncertainty surrounding future technological trajectories and the possible associated impacts for airline business models and competitive and corporate strategy of airlines prevail. Finally, environmental credentials have a key impact on airlines’ reputations, which in turn influences financial performance.

The rise of social pressure and the flygskam (flight shame) phenomenon, which originated in Sweden, has seen year-on-year domestic traffic decrease by 10% in 2018 and international traffic by 3%. Not only that, according to a recent survey by UBS, in the US, Germany, France and the UK, 21% of people have reduced the number of flights they take due to environmental concerns.

However, the sustainability challenges faced by airlines are not only environmental. The modern consumer is not a passive and superficial actor, but one who is increasingly well informed and empowered to make decisions about their lifestyle and how they travel. In the same way that environmental justice can position airlines as part of the solution, rather than a major source of the problem, justice can also be a crucial part of the social sustainability of an airline. In this regard, customers are, for example, becoming more interested in human resource policies that contribute to social sustainability and complement the environmental justice initiatives of organisations. With increasing choice, disruptive technological change, and accompanying shifts in consumption patterns and lifestyles, the airline industry will need to remain agile and receptive to new trends and changing dynamics in order to remain competitive.

Hence, the preassure on airlines to be socially and environmentaly sustainable is here to stay and will increase in the future. This Special Issue would like to contribute to overcome this challenge by focusing on the following topics:

• Integration of sustainability into airline business strategy;
• Sustainable aviation fuels;
• Technology trajectories and their impact on airline business models, e.g., fleet modernisation, electric aircraft, and disruptive innovation;
• Effectiveness of green taxes on aviation;
• Market mechanisms and carbon offsets;
• Resilience;
• Waste management and the circular economy applied to airlines;
• New responsible and sustainable revenue streams;
• Reputation and the environment;
• Socially responsible labour practices in the airline industry;
• Women in aviation and women leadership.

Prof. Pere Suau-Sanchez
Guest Editor

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• Sustainable air transport
• Environmental impact
• Aviation
• Airline management
• Airline strategy
• Resilience
• Justice
• Leadership