Vaccines, associated risk and air transport industry post-COVID-19: A structural equation modelling-based empirical study in Hong Kong

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacts the air transport industry. However, the availability of vaccines and achieving community immunity may change one's travel anxiety and the intention to travel after the pandemic. This study employs covariance-based structural equation modelling to investigate the relationships between the willingness to be vaccinated, perceived risk to travel via air transport, health risk propensity, prevention focus, pandemic travel anxiety, xenophobia, and post-pandemic intention to travel. We collected 442 responses in Hong Kong. It is thought-provoking that the effect of vaccines is not as significant as intuitively thought, which could be due to virus variants, data security, and the availability of a unified vaccination passport. People perceiving a higher risk to travel via air transport would reduce the post-pandemic intention to travel. Focusing on the post-pandemic age and the role of vaccination, this study provides insights on the key predictors for aviation recovery in Hong Kong from the psychological and behavioural aspects of travellers.