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The COVID-19 pandemic has sharply reduced air travel demand since early 2020. This paper aims to identify factors influencing Korean passengers’ air travel confidence after COVID-19 based on three countermeasure classifications: social distancing, health, and vaccination. Data were collected online from 307 Korean air passengers from December 2021 to January 2022. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine countermeasure influence on air passenger confidence. Health measures (face mask, temperature screening, and hand sanitizing) scored the highest on importance and air travel safety sensitivity. Social distancing measures (physical distancing, contactless boarding process, and sneeze guards) scored the lowest but were still perceived to be important. Only vaccine measures (vaccine pass check-in, vaccination rates, and personal vaccination status) were identified as having a significantly positive influence on Korean air travel confidence. The study’s results do not support past studies showing social distancing and health measures partially or fully influencing air travel confidence. This finding has significant implications for understanding how Korean passengers’ perceptions and perceived sense of safety are different or have changed two years into the crisis, as well as for achieving sustainability of the aviation and travel industries after COVID-19.

Aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) has become more important to the air transport industry during the pandemic since it plays a crucial role in improving safety, ensuring profitability, and achieving sustainability in the industry. The growth of the Northeast Asian MRO market is forecasted to be remarkable, making the region the next MRO powerhouse. This study investigates the MRO industry in Northeast Asian countries (China, Japan, and Korea) to gain insights for strategical development of the industry. SWOT analysis was used to understand external macro-environment and internal conditions comprehensively, with comparative analysis then performed to find each country’s competitiveness. SWOT analysis of the external environment of the aviation MRO industry in Northeast Asia finds opportunities from increased competition in the air transport industry and technological development and threats caused by aircraft advancements (less scheduled maintenance checks) and a limited workforce. Internal conditions are analyzed using six factors: cost, workforce, geographic presence, quality with shorter turnaround time, technological advancement, and certification. The results indicate that Korea’s MRO industry has strong human resources but weak technological capabilities. The competitive advantage of the Chinese MRO industry stems from both a large number of aircraft and lower costs. While Japan possesses superior MRO technology, high labor costs reduce their industrial competitiveness. Based on a comparative analysis, this study provides strategic insights into the improvements that can be made in the Korean MRO industry. Since composite MRO of newer aircraft presents a small technological gap which can be overcome with high-quality human resources, Korea should focus its resources and policies on promoting the composite MRO industry due to its high growth potential.

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