International Scientific Conference “New Challenges in Economic and Business Development – 2022: Responsible Growth” : Proceedings

Abstract

The global aviation sector has never had a greater crisis than what it is experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. While passenger numbers are growing, COVID-19 remains a threat. This interdisciplinary study maps airport passenger services digitalization research referring to passenger satisfaction. The study tracks the influence of touchless airport services, as well as global pandemic COVID-19, focusing on the safety and encouragement of airport passengers. Study aims to identify a gap between the level of expectation and satisfaction of Riga International Airport (RIX) passengers. An empirical survey was conducted on passengers who have experience of using airport services prior to and during the COVID-19. In total, 1315 questionnaires were analysed by employing a SERVQUAL model. This study can be used to create policy recommendations in order to implement the safety measures and other types of airport services focusing on further improvement during and after COVID-19. Article concludes that COVID-19 changed passenger habits significantly, it left long lasting impact on confidence, and willingness to travel has been tempered by concerns over the risks of catching COVID-19. The lessons learned of COVID-19 require accelerating new processes with less face-to-face (F2F) contact enabling and encouraging all passengers, despite age, gender, education, race, disability or other personal qualities, the right having safe and user-friendly services.