Determinants Of Implementation Of Safety Oversight Program In Aerodromes Towards Enhancing Safety. A Case Of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Abstract

Implementation of oversight programs in Aerodromes towards enhancing safety is becoming critical in the aviation industry due to increased air travel overtime. The need for quicker means of travel consequently has led to more flights but with constrained ground infrastructure to handle the huge number of passengers. This requires a systematic approach to ensure unsafe practices in aerodromes / airports do not negatively affect the gains resulting from growth in air travel. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport being the biggest international hub in the region has experienced rapid growth in air passenger traffic. However, there has been a lag in an equal development of infrastructural capacity to address the emerging needs occasioned by increased passenger growth and ensure lack of compromise on safety. All aviation stakeholders need to offer necessary support systems to create a synergy required towards enhancing safety. The research examined the determinants of implementation of safety oversight program in aerodromes toward enhancing safety at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Four objectives considered were; - to establish extent to which stakeholders’ involvement determines implementation of safety oversight program in aerodromes and to examine extent to which personnel training determines implementation of safety oversight program in aerodromes. Thirdly, to assess the extent to which Safety communication determine implementation of safety oversight program in aerodromes and finally, to evaluate extent to which regulatory framework determine implementation of safety oversight program in aerodromes. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. 91 respondents drawn from 8 departments in the Airports Authority and Civil Aviation Authority of Kenya comprising of a total population of 163. Questionnaires were used to gather data with a return rate of 91% achieved. The collected data was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics with tables and narrations used to display study outcomes. The study findings indicated that personnel training determined the implementation of safety oversight programs in aerodromes to the greatest extent with a significant positive change of 0.627, followed by safety communication at 0.511 significant change on the dependent variable. Stakeholders’ involvement and regulatory framework gives a moderate positive change to the extent of 0.373 and 0.325 respectively. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested the hypothesis of each objective. Personnel training and safety communication had a relatively high significance while those of stakeholders’ involvement and regulatory framework had moderately determinacy the dependent variable respectively. The multivariate regression analysis established the relative contribution of the independent variable resulting to a model Y = 2.54 +5.21X1+7.67X2+6.32X3+4.94X4 +Error Term The study recommends that Kenyan Airports Authority and Civil Aviation Authority should improve personnel training and safety communication as they have higher impact on implementation of safety oversight programs in aerodromes towards enhancing safety. Researcher envisions the carrying out of further studies in different context for verification of findings. Key words: Implementation of safety oversight program, stakeholders’ involvement, personnel training, safety communication and regulatory framework.