DETERMINATION OF FACTORS THAT CHALLENGE AND FACILITATE THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION TO SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SMS) IN NIGERIA AIRLINE OPERATIONS.

Abstract

This research is aimed at determining the factors that challenge and facilitate the process of transition to safety management systems(SMS) in Nigeria Airline Operations. This consideration was established to help in enhancing standardized methods of application and enforcement of maintenance and repairs operations for commercial Airline carriers. This research adopted a quantitative research technique with cross-sectional survey as research approach. However, in eliciting responses from professionals, 201 aviation maintenance and management professionals were sampled from 4 maintenance and repairs operation units and 5 Airlines/approved maintenance organizations at Owerri Airport Imo State Nigeria. Semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection while these data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (principal component analysis (PCA)) through Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23, for ease of computation. This research finding show that  high operating costs, multiple charges and inadequate communication channels for reporting safety concerns or incidents are factors that hamper the adoption of safety management systems in aviation industry in Nigeria. This research therefore recommends that regulatory authorities and industry associations can foster a culture of collaboration and provide platforms for knowledge dissemination.