Abstract
The air transport industry in Greece has been experiencing a significant growth. However, higher education has missed so far this export opportunity. Public universities and technological educational institutes have very limited undergraduate offerings in the fields of aeronautical engineering and aircraft maintenance technology, respectively. These programs are offered only in the local language, practically restricting them to the indigenous market. Postgraduate offerings are currently inexistent. This study proposes a generic model for undergraduate and postgraduate aviation programs. This model, aligning with the world’s best practice in aviation education, would have to be adjusted to meet the Greek aviation industry. A preliminary investigation to identify the characteristics of the model was conducted in the Greek aviation industry, through a survey supported with in-depth interviews. The research findings suggest that it is necessary to invest in the strengths of the Greek aviation industry (aviation services and aircraft maintenance) and the strategic advantages of the country (climate favorable for flight training and touristic attractiveness). The need for a postgraduate aviation program is highlighted, in contrast to the introduction of an undergraduate program, which came up as less desirable. Moreover, the need for export-driven target-oriented synergies between industry and academia has been a key observation.
Highlights
Aviation Industry: the General Context The aviation industry continues to grow, despite economic and other issues affecting economic development in many parts of the world
One respondent mentioned that Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) offers some aviation-related courses/short programs for their employees and external students, while it is a body generally validating/certifying a number of courses/staff
Other respondents were aware that 1 Technological Educational Institutes (TEI) department offers a program in aircraft maintenance technology; some private vocational institutions offer training for the basic airline operations and some private schools offer training for pilots, flight and ground engineers
Summary
Aviation Industry: the General Context The aviation industry continues to grow, despite economic and other issues affecting economic development in many parts of the world. The global aviation workforce counts with approximately 10 million people acting directly in the industry and nearly 63 million people in support of the industry, including tourism services (ATAG 2016). Aviation is very important for the Greek economy, in terms of its influence on tourism and trade. Air transportation connects geographically remote areas, including the large number of islands around the country. The Greek air transport market comprised 48.81 million passengers in 2015, compared to 44.6 million in 2014, which corresponds to 9.5%. The domestic traffic increased by 20% and the international one, by 5.5% (Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority 2016). The long-term passenger traffic trend (international and domestic; Fig. 1) is indicative of the aviation sector growth in Greece
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
