Digital transformation maturity of airline firms: A tool for self-assessment

Technological developments are in a rapid change. Market places are global and transparent. With digital transformation (DT), everything is connected and communicating. Manual processes are now automated for most of the businesses. Habits and needs are changing which, in turn, effects the conventional way that firms offer their goods and services to customer. Airlines have been pushed to this new journey as well. Those who adapt quickly to this new world will gain a greater share of the pie. However, most of the airlines have bulky and rigid systems that are designed based on strict rules and regulations of the industry. Thus, the transformation process required to adapt to the new era of digitalization is not a simple task staying ahead of aviation companies. Several interrelated factors, such as strategy, organization, customer, technology, operations, ecosystem, and innovation, have to be redefined to conceptualize a valid and functioning business framework. From passengers' perspective, on the other hand, connectivity and accessibility is the name of the game. They demand the processes that can be carried out on their digital and mobile devices in many areas from planning to the realization stage of travel. Acknowledging the necessities of the new era, the aim of this study is twofold: (i) to highlight the essence of DT by examining the role of DT's sub-dimensions in civil aviation industry, (ii) and propose a Digital Transformation Maturity (DTM) self-assessment tool for determining the DT maturity level of aviation firms.