A study of retention of pilots in the context of STOL operations in Nepal: learning from their perspectives

Abstract

Employee retention has been the foundation of human resource management (HRM) strategies worldwide, as employees are the most valuable asset of an organisation. This thesis examines the human resource factors that affect pilot retention and explores the relationship between pilot safety and pilot retention from the pilot’s perspective in short take-off and landing (STOL) operations in Nepal. For a mountainous country like Nepal, STOL operations provide a crucial link to the outside world for many remote farming communities and tourism hubs. For airlines, the retention of STOL pilots is vital as it is more economical than hiring new pilots because of the long lead time required for training. In addition, retaining STOL pilots can help increase the airline’s safety, productivity, profitability, and reliability. Pilots are highly skilled, atypical employees with distinctive needs, and to retain them, airlines must first understand why they leave. Previous studies on pilot retention are limited to large airlines in developed countries, however, this study was conducted in a developing country with the primary research objective of “To explore, from the pilot’s perspective, how various human resource factors affect pilot retention in the context of STOL operations in Nepal”. The pilot’s perspective on pilot retention is an essential part of this study, as only the pilots can clarify their motivation to stay or leave the airline. There is a paucity of literature on the essential element of interlinking pilot safety with pilot retention, with no studies conducted in Nepal. This study seeks to extend the knowledge and theory building in the field of pilot retention and address the research gap on the relationship between pilot safety and pilot retention. Moreover, outdated practices used by airlines to retain pilots have become ineffective, and this study can help HRM augment their practice at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. This study utilises a qualitative approach. The data was collected via semi-structured interviews among present and past STOL pilots, and analysed manually and using NVivo software to generate a comprehensive thematic analysis. Since the study aims to explore pilots’ perspectives on how pilot safety and various human resource factors affect pilot retention, their viewpoints on actual problems can lead to viable, practical solutions. This study creates an avenue for their voices and opinions to become a catalyst for positive change for the pilot community.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Sarvjeet Kaur CHATRATH (Supervisor), Raechel JOHNS (Supervisor) & Michael de Percy (Supervisor)