Risk management model for on-demand part 135 (air taxi) operators

Accident prevention is essential to air carriers due to the high cost of accidents. Nonetheless, the investigations usually indicate poor operational risk management in the accidents' chains of events. Due to the constraints of information and time, risk is usually unseen on a daily basis. This highlights the urgent need of a practical risk management tool. The purpose of this study was to develop a model in order to identify degraded safety areas before accidents occur. By doing so, corrective actions can be taken beforehand. Three research questions were formulated and answered. Documentary research identified 30 risk factors and 25 key safety resources to be investigated through a survey to selected pilots. A stratified sampling of 80 participants was used. The study resulted in the Bastos' Risk Management Model for On-demand Part 135 operators (BRIMODA), a decision-making aid tailored for managing the operational risk of air taxi flight operations.