AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF AIRLINE SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON PASSENGER SATISFACTION: A STUDY OF COMMERCIAL AIRLINE BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

One of the significant tasks of airline companies globally is to ensure a high standard of
safety management principles for staff and passengers to remain profitable. However, in
Nigeria, the airline industry continues to record low profitability, lower service standards,
increased missed trips, flight cancellations, low patronage, reduced passenger satisfaction,
and stiff competition induced by weak airline safety management, the COVID-19 pandemic,
and increasing economic challenges. But due to differences in consumer behaviour, and
income levels across continents, it is extremely difficult to generalise the findings of existing
studies on safety management and its relationship to passenger satisfaction. Therefore, this
study examines the effects of airline safety management on passenger satisfaction in
Muritala Muhammed Local Airport, Lagos State, Nigeria the biggest economy in Africa.
The study adopted a survey research design and the population for this study comprises all
users of the existing functional domestic airline operators having their hubs in Muritala
Muhammed airport, Lagos state, Nigeria which is 62,340 according to the aircraft arrival
and departure log for March 2022 documented by the Nigeria Airspace Management
Agency (NAMA). The Research Advisor Table was adopted in determining the sample size,
which was given as 382 with a confidence level of 95% and a margin error of 5%.
Considering the provision for a non-response rate, 115 was added to the sample size which
is at 30% of the sample size. A total of 497 copies of the structured questionnaire were
administered to passengers waiting in the lounges at the MMA domestic airport who
intended to travel with any of the four domestic airlines operating in Lagos state Nigeria as
at July 2023. A response rate of 97.76% was achieved in the study representing 480 copies
of the questionnaire filled and returned for analysis. Findings from the regression analysis
show that the coefficient of the independent variable "Airline safety management" is positive
and significant (β = 0.650, p < 0.01, R2=0.423), indicating that there is a significant
relationship between airline safety management and passenger satisfaction. The study
concluded that airline safety management had positive effects on passenger satisfactionin
Muritala Muhammed Local Airport, Lagos State, Nigeria. The study recommends airlines
should invest in airport infrastructure to improve service quality and enhance passenger
satisfaction, which can lead to higher patronage and better airline performance.