Effects of Crew Resource Management Practices on Aviation Safety: A case of Low-Cost Carrier Airlines in Kenya

Abstract

In the aviation industry, safety is paramount. Achieving and maintaining high levels of safety performance is a complex endeavor that requires adherence to regulatory compliance. However, an auditing report conducted by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) in 2022 revealed significant safety concerns related to the CRM practices of low-cost carriers, specifically highlighting deficiencies in the implementation and effectiveness of CRM within these airlines. This raises alarms about potential risks to aviation safety. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of crew resource management practices in enhancing aviation safety performance. The study focused on the following objectives: to ascertain the effect of Crew training on aviation safety performance in Low-cost carrier airlines; to establish the effect of error management on aviation safety performance in Low-cost carrier airlines; to determine how crew composition affected aviation safety performance in Low-cost carrier airlines, and to examine the effect of teamwork on aviation safety performance in Low-cost carrier airlines. The theories underpinning the research are Human Factors Theory, High Reliability Theory, Organizational Learning Theory, and safety culture theory. Explanatory research design was adopted for the study to provide meaningful insights on the topic. Census approach was adopted for the study. The study targeted a total of 320 respondents with the sample size of 224 finally arrived at. Closed ended questionnaires were used to collect data and the validity and reliability of this tool were tested through pilot study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The findings of the study revealed that there was a positive significant relationship between air safety performance and management support for training (β = 0.140, p = 0.044, <0.05). Moreover, it was established that error management has no significant effect on safety aviation performance (β = 0.078, p = 0.374, >0.05). The study also found out that crew composition has no significant effect on safety aviation performance (β = 0.108, p = 0.195, >0.05) and it was established that teamwork has a significant effect on safety aviation performance (β = 0.158, p = 0.014, <0.05). The research findings suggest that crew training, teamwork, and error management are crucial factors that positively influence aviation safety performance. It is the recommendation of this study that CRM training for flight attendants is a valuable tool for increasing positive teamwork behaviors between the flight attendant and pilot sub-groups. It is also recommended that additional studies to be conducted on the factors influencing air safety of performance management systems in Kenya