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Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 25333

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Industrial Management Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Interests: technology management; air and maritime transportation; intellectual property; logistics and supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
G. Brint Ryan College of Business, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA
Interests: air transportation; aviation logistics; operations management; linear programming; lean management; supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

COVID-19 has been a major disaster in the airline industry, including airlines and airports. To survive COVID-19, the air transportation industry, including airlines and airports, must develop innovative strategies and technologies for the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of its eco-system.

This Special Issue will cover topics including (but not limited to): 1) identifying and developing innovative technologies in the air transportation eco-system; 2) airline/airport strategies to improve economic, social, and environmental sustainability; 3) policy developments and their implications to survive the COVID-19 crisis. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are encouraged.

Prof. Chulung Lee
Prof. Seock-Jin Hong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Innovative technologies for the sustainability of the air transportation eco-system.
  • Physical and information platforms to promote airline/airport industries.
  • Airline/airport strategies to improve economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
  • Policy developments and implications to promote the air transportation eco-system.
  • Measuring and monitoring the efficiencies and competitiveness of the airline/airport industries.
  • Innovative human resource management for the sustainability of the airline/airport industry.
  • Risk management for airlines/airports to overcome a full-scale pandemic.
  • Case studies for sustainable air transportation.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 779 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Airport Managerial Type and Airline Market Share on Airport Efficiency
by Jae Hee Park and Ji Hee Kim
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020981 - 19 Jan 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3144
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of airport managerial type and airline market structure on airport efficiency. It explores whether the market shares of the largest airlines differ depending on the managerial type of the airport. In this study, the efficiency scores for the [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the impact of airport managerial type and airline market structure on airport efficiency. It explores whether the market shares of the largest airlines differ depending on the managerial type of the airport. In this study, the efficiency scores for the sample airport are measured through DEA (Data Envelop Analysis), and the impacts of the airport managerial type and dominant carrier market share on airport efficiency are subsequently estimated through CEM (Coarsened Exact Matching). This paper concludes that group airports are more efficient than the standalone airports, and the market shares of the largest airlines have a positive impact on enhancing airport efficiency. In addition, the market shares of the largest airlines are found to be higher for group airports than for standalone airports. These findings can serve as practical guidelines for governments and airport authorities by suggesting that efficiency improves when multiple standalone airports are operated as a group through the M&A of airports or the establishment of airport operation agencies. While facing unprecedented challenges from the spread of COVID 19, this paper also suggests that an increase in airline market share through airport–airline cooperation has a positive impact on airport efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation)
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15 pages, 2956 KiB  
Article
Investigating Paradigm Shift from Price to Value in the Air Cargo Market
by Jong Hae Choi and Yong Hwa Park
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10202; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310202 - 07 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3600
Abstract
This study presents a paradigm shift in the air cargo market based on Korea and Incheon Airport’s empirical data. The air cargo market has traditionally handled expensive items and has been a supplier-oriented market. There has been little room for individual customers in [...] Read more.
This study presents a paradigm shift in the air cargo market based on Korea and Incheon Airport’s empirical data. The air cargo market has traditionally handled expensive items and has been a supplier-oriented market. There has been little room for individual customers in this market. However, “value” gradually replaces “price” in this market. The value depending on consumer preferences significantly impact air cargo demand. Consequently, items transported by air cargo are changing, and airlines and other market participants are revising operation policy. Economic growth may be losing its dominant power as the main growth engine in the air cargo market. This study identifies the weakened link between air cargo increase and economic growth based on the Granger causality test. COVID-19 calls for a deeper understanding of the paradigm shift in the market for sustainable air transport because COVID-19 will further stimulate it. In this regard, the air cargo business, which maintains a stable trend even during COVID-19, is seen as a new opportunity for the aviation industry. Since sustainable air transport requires an accurate understanding of the paradigm shift in the air cargo market, this study enhances our knowledge of the paradigm shift and provides significant implications for sustainable air transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation)
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15 pages, 1247 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Technology-Supported Distance Measuring to Ensure Safe Aircraft Boarding during COVID-19 Pandemic
by Paul Schwarzbach, Julia Engelbrecht, Albrecht Michler, Michael Schultz and Oliver Michler
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8724; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208724 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4028
Abstract
With the rise of COVID-19, the sustainability of air transport is a major challenge, as there is limited space in aircraft cabins, resulting in a higher risk of virus transmission. In order to detect possible chains of infection, technology-supported apps are used for [...] Read more.
With the rise of COVID-19, the sustainability of air transport is a major challenge, as there is limited space in aircraft cabins, resulting in a higher risk of virus transmission. In order to detect possible chains of infection, technology-supported apps are used for social distancing. These COVID-19 applications are based on the display of the received signal strength for distance estimation, which is strongly influenced by the spreading environment due to the signal multipath reception. Therefore, we evaluate the applicability of technology-based social distancing methods in an aircraft cabin environment using a radio propagation simulation based on a three-dimensional aircraft model. We demonstrate the susceptibility to errors of the conventional COVID-19 distance estimation, which can lead to large errors in the determination of distances and to the impracticability of traditional tracing approaches during passenger boarding/deboarding. In the context of the future connected cabin, a robust distance measurement must be implemented to ensure safe travel. Finally, our results can be transferred to similar fields of application, e.g., trains or public transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation)
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20 pages, 8962 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Aircraft Boarding Scenarios Considering Reduced Transmissions Risks
by Michael Schultz and Jörg Fuchte
Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5329; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135329 - 01 Jul 2020
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 9519
Abstract
Air travel appears as particularly hazardous in a pandemic situation, since infected people can travel worldwide and could cause new breakouts in remote locations. The confined space conditions in the aircraft cabin necessitate a small physical distance between passengers and hence may boost [...] Read more.
Air travel appears as particularly hazardous in a pandemic situation, since infected people can travel worldwide and could cause new breakouts in remote locations. The confined space conditions in the aircraft cabin necessitate a small physical distance between passengers and hence may boost virus transmissions. In our contribution, we implemented a transmission model in a virtual aircraft environment to evaluate the individual interactions between passengers during aircraft boarding and deboarding. Since no data for the transmission is currently available, we reasonably calibrated our model using a sample case from 2003. The simulation results show that standard boarding procedures create a substantial number of possible transmissions if a contagious passenger is present. The introduction of physical distances between passengers decreases the number of possible transmissions by approx. 75% for random boarding sequences, and could further decreased by more strict reduction of hand luggage items (less time for storage, compartment space is always available). If a second door is used for boarding and deboarding, the standard boarding times could be reached. Individual boarding strategies (by seat) could reduce the transmission potential to a minimum, but demand for complex pre-sorting of passengers. Our results also exhibit that deboarding consists of the highest transmission potential and only minor benefits from distance rules and hand luggage regulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation)
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18 pages, 930 KiB  
Article
The Intention of Passengers towards Repeat Use of Biometric Security for Sustainable Airport Management
by Cheong Kim, Kun Chang Lee and Francis Joseph Costello
Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4528; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114528 - 02 Jun 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4174
Abstract
More and more these days, airport security is having to adapt to a greater number of passengers while keeping within finer margins of precision when it comes to clearing passengers for security clearance. Therefore, analyzing potential upgrades in the security process and adopting [...] Read more.
More and more these days, airport security is having to adapt to a greater number of passengers while keeping within finer margins of precision when it comes to clearing passengers for security clearance. Therefore, analyzing potential upgrades in the security process and adopting them in a way that does not impact passenger experience has become a key activity for airport managers. One viable technological solution that is not only effective but also efficient is biometric security. This technology allows for passengers to safely clear security based on their unique biometric features. Despite its promise, airports and passengers alike are slow to adopt its use. Additionally, there were few studies that revealed insights into passengers’ intentions toward repeat use of biometric security. Hence, in our novel attempts to uncover the underlying reasons, we implemented a study on passengers’ initial and repeat usage intention based on perceived benefits and risks of biometric security technology. Based on 327 survey responses, we employed the use of SEM to extract first- and second-order constructs before evaluating our hypotheses on a finally accepted model. To be aligned with the novel attempt of this research, the results showed that both the perceived benefits and risks have a significant impact on passenger’s initial and repeat use intention of biometric security. Therefore, for all practitioners engaged in sustainable airport management, strong consideration from this research should help in creating value for passengers while mitigating the risks of adopting biometric security within airport security settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Air Transportation)
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