Kübra Nur Uzuntaş

The rapid proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has introduced new opportunities as well as significant safety challenges for civil aviation stakeholders. While UAVs provide notable operational advantages in logistics, surveillance and emergency response, their integration into shared airspace raises critical safety, regulatory and human-factors concerns. This study examines the risk perceptions of two key aviation stakeholder groups – pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs) – using the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Safety Management Manual (SMM) risk matrix as a comparative framework. Thirty aviation professionals (15 pilots and 15 ATCs) evaluated eight major UAV-related risk scenarios across likelihood and severity dimensions, including technical failures, operator inexperience, mid-air collisions and privacy violations. The results reveal substantial perceptual asymmetries between the groups: pilots emphasised catastrophic consequences and direct flight safety, whereas ATCs prioritised systemic disruptions and likelihood-based assessments. Both groups, however, identified ‘inexperienced UAV operators’ as the most critical and unacceptable risk factor. The findings suggest that UAV safety cannot be managed solely through technological improvements, but also requires human-centred considerations in risk communication and coordination, and cross-disciplinary risk communication. Moreover, the results highlight the need to expand ICAO’s risk assessment framework to incorporate ethical and socio-technical considerations, including privacy and data protection. By aligning diverse professional risk perceptions, this study contributes to improving safety risk communication and interpretation within SMS practices for UAV integration within civil aviation systems.

Background: Fear of flying, or aviophobia, is one of the most prevalent phobias, affecting approximately 3 to 5% of the population. Although air travel has become significantly safer, fear of flying continues to impact individuals’ social, professional, and personal lives, often leading to avoidance behaviors and significant distress. This qualitative study explores the causes, triggers, and coping strategies associated with fear of flying, focusing on participants from Türkiye. Methods: Through semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals with self-reported fear of flying, conducted between June 2024 and February 2025, the study identifies key factors associated with the fear of flying, including psychological factors (e.g., anxiety disorders, claustrophobia), negative flight-related experiences (e.g., turbulence, media coverage of crashes), cognitive factors (e.g., catastrophic thinking), environmental and social influences (e.g., learned behaviors, media exposure), physiological responses (e.g., sweating, palpitations), and cultural contexts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Results: The findings reveal that turbulence, fear of enclosed spaces, and media portrayals of aviation accidents are significant triggers. Coping strategies such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), relaxation techniques, and spiritual methods (e.g., praying) are commonly employed to manage flight anxiety. The study also highlights the role of social media in relation to fear of flying, as exposure to negative aviation content is associated with increased anxiety and avoidance behaviors. Despite the availability of professional support and airline-sponsored programs, many participants reported a notable underutilization of these resources. Conclusions: The study concludes that a multifaceted approach, combining psychological interventions, education, and culturally sensitive treatments, may be important for addressing fear of flying. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on fear of flying and provide insights for developing targeted interventions to help individuals overcome their fear of flying.

Bu bölümde dijital dönüşümün kariyer yönetimine etkileri kavramsal bir çerçevede incelenmektedir. Dijitalleşme, yalnızca teknolojik bir yenilik süreci değil; aynı zamanda örgütsel yapıları, insan kaynakları uygulamalarını ve bireylerin kariyer anlayışlarını dönüştüren çok boyutlu bir olgu olarak ele alınmaktadır. Bölümde önce dijital dönüşümün iş dünyasında yarattığı değişimler tartışılmakta, ardından kariyer yönetimi yaklaşımlarındaki dönüşüm, çalışan beklentileri ve insan kaynakları perspektifi irdelenmektedir. Sürekli öğrenme, esneklik, dijital okuryazarlık ve birey odaklı kariyer stratejileri, dijitalleşmenin öne çıkan yansımaları olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Öte yandan, algoritmik yanlılık, mahremiyetin ihlali ve iş-yaşam dengesi üzerindeki baskılar gibi sorunlar da dikkate alınması gereken riskler olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, bu bölümde dijital dönüşümün kariyer yönetimi üzerindeki çok boyutlu etkileri incelenmiş ve başarının, teknolojik ilerleme ile insani değerlerin dengelenmesine bağlı olduğu ortaya konmuştur.

Climate change, driven by human activities, poses severe environmental, economic, and social challenges. This chapter examines its impacts, including rising temperatures, ecosystem disruption, and threats to food security and health, with vulnerable populations disproportionately affected. It explores the role of industries in greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for sustainable practices like renewable energy and circular economies. The chapter critiques greenwashing and emphasizes the need for stricter regulations and corporate accountability. Key policies, such as the European Green Deal and U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, are highlighted as critical steps toward climate resilience. The chapter concludes with a call for global collaboration to mitigate climate change and ensure a sustainable future.

Technological developments and affordable price structures have increased the usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across almost all sectors, hence increasing demand. Since UAVs can fly and perform various tasks without requiring a human operator, the most dangerous and time-consuming tasks previously performed by humans in many sectors are now accomplished by using UAVs. The increased use of UAVs has also introduced critical safety and security risks, including airspace congestion, collisions and malicious use, and therefore, identifying and assessing the risks associated with UAVs and finding ways to mitigate them is of great importance. This qualitative study investigates the safety and security risks posed by the increased use of UAVs and discusses ways to mitigate these risks. Semi-structured interviews with aviation professionals, including pilots, air traffic controllers and academicians, were conducted, and the collected data were analysed by using MAXQDA 24 qualitative analysis software. The results indicate that 86% of participants emphasised air traffic density as a major safety concern, while 71% underlined the need for dedicated air corridors and robust legal frameworks to reduce collision risks. These insights suggest that the safe integration of UAVs into current aviation systems demands a multifaceted strategy involving regulatory interventions, such as clearly defined UAV flight zones and essential technological enhancements. Overall, the study underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts–legal, technological, and inter-institutional–to ensure the secure incorporation of UAVs into national airspace.

In the aviation industry, flight safety is always a top priority and holds great significance not only during takeoff, landing, or flight but also during maneuvering on the ground. The mobility or unsafe actions of the passengers during this maneuver should be restricted in accordance with regulations, as they are critical in ensuring in-flight safety and reducing operational risks to acceptable levels. Even with these clear and frequently repeated rules, some of the passengers can still be seen moving around the cabin during taxiing, opening overhead bins, and trying to remove their belongings. All of these, especially during sudden braking or turns, may cause passengers to be injured. This study aims to conduct a qualitative risk assessment on the possible risks associated with the mobility of the passengers during the aircraft maneuver on the ground. A total of 75 participants from the cockpit, cabin crew, and passengers took part in an online qualitative risk assessment, and the assessments were interpreted using the risk matrix defined by ICAO. Results have shown that, though all of the participants managed to assess the similar likelihood of risks, their perceived magnitude of impact varied depending on the group of participants and their level of experience.