Study and analysis of alliances in the aviation industry

This study aims to analyse the corresponding business models of the aviation industry regarding airline and air navigation service provider strategic alliances during the COVD-19 pandemic. An extensive literature review is carried out on airline cooperative arrangements and each specific alliance with a special focus on their performance during and after the pandemic. Therefore, the chosen methodology in order to conduct the analysis is the EcoCanvas business model, which is based on the traditional business model canvas with additional aspects on sustainability and circular economy. The analysis has shown that the pandemic was an unprecedented challenge for the aviation industry with great losses on revenue due to border restrictions. The global airline alliances have proved to be a very stable business model that helped their members to deal with these challenges, promoting safety measures, investing and implementing IT, health and safety technologies. On the other hand, air navigation service providers had to readjust their financial structure and find alternative funding sources in order to operate and to continue or at least not abandon their technological development and modernisation. Additionally, the corresponding methodology allows us to describe the social and environmental impact and foresight, which have been analysed and assessed. Also, it has been shown that the aviation sector is committed towards their sustainable development with various measures ranging from sustainable aviation fuel procurement and refurbishment promoted by airline alliances on the one hand, and on the other hand, the air navigation service providers contribution with the use of renewable sources of energy in their infrastructures and technology improvements aimed to increase the airspace safety, capacity, cost efficiency and reduce aviation noise and emissions.