A grey relational analytical approach to safety performance assessment in an aviation industry of a developing country

Safety in aviation impacts the overall success of the sector. It depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of safety management systems (SMSs), which contain diverse and complex elements. Thus, a quantitative methodology for aviation SMS in developing countries, capable of prioritising resources with incomplete information, is needed. Grey relational analysis (GRA) is the most appropriate tool for this situation. This study assessed an existing SMS and determined its critical elements in a developing country’s aviation industry. Questionnaires were framed from the SMS manual of the International Civil Aviation Organization and from previous literature. The robustness and the efficiency of the approach were tested with data obtained from airline operators in Nigeria. Assessment of SMSs was done among airline service providers ascertaining the important levels of SMS elements. GRA was then applied to this data to identify the most influential elements of an SMS. Several companies were examined. Company A needs for a focus on sharing safety information and sensitization techniques to enable SMSs to better permeate through all levels, making employees aware of their SMS roles and duties to pursue a better safety culture. Company B needs to focus on more in-depth safety information dissemination platforms and methods. Non-punitive reporting should be done and safety promotion, culture, training and education should be prioritised. Company A has a better safety record than B. Overall, from the grey model, 12 critical elements were found out of 22 revised SMS elements that affect SMS. The major critical component was the safety structure and regulation. This is needed to build long lasting and effective SMSs. The novelty of this work is its unique application of GRA for a developing country’s airline safety.