COVID-19 IMPACT ON AVIATION INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES: AN INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The present literature review aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on job performance and mental health in employees in the aviation industry, especially pilots from an organizational industrial perspective.  In a study aimed at identifying the implications of COVID-19 on pilots' mental health, Flyn et al. found that, by January 2021, airlines eliminated thousands of jobs while 24 airlines ended operations. In surveys of the general population of pilots, it was identified that 13% of people had "severe distress" due to the pandemic.  Whereas, in two aviation-focused surveys, between 40% and 66% of pilots agreed or strongly agreed that their mental health had worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.  Compared to previous patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), more patients with COVID-19 presented mental health symptoms in the acute phase of the disease. In contrast, about 10% of COVID-19 patients appeared to have chronic or "long-lasting" symptoms (Flyn et al., 2022, p.1). The findings and information reviewed allow us to establish that no organizational development in many aviation industries in the world promotes their employees' mental health, psychological well-being, and crisis management. Industrial/organizational psychologists promote prevention for optimal employee performance in any organization, so the intervention of such health professionals is recommended to create an optimal work environment in the aviation industry.