Investigation of the relationships between transformational safety leadership, positive organizational culture and pilots' safety behaviors in air transportation companies

Today, safety is of critical importance in the air transportation sector in terms of operational sustainability and passenger satisfaction. While leadership styles have a significant impact on employee behaviors, transformational leadership stands out as an approach that can strengthen employees' perceptions of job security and performance. In this context, the role of safety leadership in shaping positive organizational culture and how this culture affects pilots' safety-oriented behaviors constitute the main problematic of the research. This study aims to examine the relationships between transformational safety leadership, positive organizational culture and pilots' safety behaviors in air transportation companies. In the research, the direct effect of transformational safety leadership on pilots' safety behaviors as well as the mediating role of positive organizational culture were analyzed. Data were collected from pilots and managers working in the air transportation sector; a quantitative research approach was adopted with a scale-based survey method. The findings obtained reveal the effect of transformational safety leadership in creating a positive organizational culture and that this culture provides an environment that supports pilots' safety behaviors. This study aims to determine the behavioral effects of positive organizational culture and pilot safety behaviors of transformational safety leadership in aviation transportation companies and to determine the behavioral effects of pilots on safe flights in a safety-focused manner in leadership and organizational culture. In this study, after conducting the necessary research in the literature, an appropriate model was drawn and three basic hypotheses were created. The targeted data were obtained by applying surveys created via Google Form from pilots operating in the airline. The study data were reached in the period of October-November 2024. Data were obtained from 430 people with the convenience sampling method. Hypotheses were tested as a result of the t-test and ANOVA tests from the statistical analyzes performed. As a result, it was determined that transformational safety leadership practices play a key role in increasing the safety performance of companies and strengthening the safety awareness of employees. It is thought that the study will make significant contributions in academic and practical terms to develop leadership practices in the air transportation sector and to create a positive organizational culture.