Australasian aviation climate change hazards: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review identifies Australasian aviation climate change hazards to guide evidence-based climate risk management for the Australasian aviation industry. Identifying evidence-based climate hazards is imperative to inform local adaptation strategies. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, literature from 2005 to 2023 was searched and a qualitative systematic analysis of results undertaken. The search identified 22 records, including grey literature, and showed climate change hazards to flight operations include changes in wind, turbulence, dust, smoke, icing and hail. Hazards to airport operations include changes in precipitation, heat, saltwater inundation, tsunamis, lightning and volcanic ash. A first pass risk assessment was conducted to prioritise these climate change hazards to further guide industry risk management. In response, the Australasian aviation industry needs to introduce evidence-based climate risk management systems and disparate climate literature transferred to the aviation knowledge base. Research from the northern hemisphere needs to be adapted and contextualised to the Australasian setting where feasible, or replicated to meet specific regional needs, enhancing the climate resilience of the local aviation sociotechnical system.