Runway to resilience: Why aviation needs a human-centred reset

Like many of us, I still remember that eerie silence in the skies during the early days of the pandemic. For aviation, it marked more than grounded flights – it triggered a seismic shift. One we are still navigating. Planes may be flying again, but the industry continues to adapt under the surface.

At Solvd Together, we work with some of the most high-pressure sectors, and aviation is undoubtedly one of the most complex.

The pandemic didn’t just pause operations; it exposed a deeper fragility in how the industry trains, develops, and leads its people. As staff returned to work, we saw that technology alone wouldn’t be the fix. Nor would it be bolting on new compliance modules to outdated training systems.

To build real resilience, the aviation industry needs a culture reset, which starts with developing people differently.

Culture, the ‘reset’ and examining capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B)

The COM-B model – invented by Susan Michie and her colleagues at University College London (UCL) – is a foundation for building effective change.

Namely, for someone to do something new, they need the capability, the opportunity, and the motivation to do it. Leave one out, and the system is prone to fail.

The NHS successfully incorporated the COM-B model into its Infection Prevention and Control Education Framework to enhance behaviours among healthcare professionals, particularly in managing Clostridioides difficile infections. So, it’s a tried and tested methodology.

In post-pandemic aviation, we saw plenty of mandates for new behaviours, but not enough support to embed them.

You can train someone on a new protocol, but if they’re operating in a chaotic environment, under time pressure, without clear leadership or support, it won’t stick. Equally, if the training lacks purpose or personal relevance, motivation suffers.

The impact on frontline security

Too often, training is built around content, not context. But real transformation happens when people are empowered to understand their roles in the broader system and how their behaviours contribute to outcomes that matter.

The power of human-centred design in learning and development (L&D) is that it instils accountability, trust, and resilience. L&D should never be a tick-box exercise – in aviation, this is even more crucial given the high stakes.

But airport environments, particularly security, are often sterile. You can’t provide e-learning models because there are no computers, nor can you have colleagues regularly checking their phones for advice and guidance at the point of need. Challenges have been exacerbated by the introduction of new security technology in security lanes, while passengers are becoming less well-behaved, to the extent that operator, Ryanair, will now sue disruptive passengers.

So, the only way to embed behavioural and cultural change is first to deeply understand the context through observation or ethnology, the study of the characteristics of different people, their differences, and their relationships.

For example, one of the real challenges security teams face at airports is balancing passenger flow with the correct procedure. No one likes to see long lines at airport security, and the process is something we all tend to endure rather than enjoy. While most passengers suffer delays as a necessary part of travel, some passengers are in a heightened state of anxiety or stress and lash out at security officers.

In our research, we’ve heard how colleagues have been pushed, had things thrown at them, and been called names for following the correct process. Worse, in these challenging situations, under pressure security managers have been less than empathic and undermine the security officer to keep the lines moving.

This is where a human-centred approach and the COM-B model come in. They help us break down what’s happening and how to improve behaviours like this in complex environments.

First, capability – do the security staff have the knowledge and skills to approach the situation in the right way?

Then opportunity – do they have the time, space, and support to manage these conversations in a high-pressure environment like a busy security lane?

Finally, motivation – do they understand why this matters? Are they simply reacting out of habit (automatic motivation), or do they reflect on the importance of getting it right for every passenger (reflective motivation)?

The issue is that most airport training is built around regulatory compliance. It’s about passing tests, often high-stakes ones that can cost someone their job if they fail. But compliance alone doesn’t always lead to the kind of adaptive, thoughtful, and inclusive behaviour needed in the real world.

If we truly want to improve the passenger experience and support security teams, we must look beyond just ticking the boxes. We need to help people develop the mindset and environment that allows them to do their jobs with empathy, confidence, and care.

The human-centred approach focuses just as much on customer service and empathy as on process. When you help people see their part in the broader passenger journey, they take ownership. When they take ownership, accountability, safety, and service improve, providing a better customer experience from security to emergencies.

Without this clarity, people make decisions based on previous experiences, reacting to what’s in front of them and copying whatever behaviours their friends and colleagues exhibit.

Rethinking leadership in a high-stakes sector

One of the biggest challenges today is to redefine what leadership looks like in aviation. Traditional models, based on hierarchy, authority, and process can’t always respond to the complexity and emotional demands of today’s workforce.

The most effective leaders we see aren’t those barking orders; they’re those who build trust, remain calm under pressure, and demonstrate clarity and care.

We’ve witnessed that leaders at all levels can benefit themselves and enhance company culture by reflecting on their own styles, blind spots, and impact on others.

Using techniques from behavioural science, coaching, and experiential learning, we can all create environments for honest conversations and support growth, confidence, and empathy.

What can airports, operators and regulators do right now?

A good place to start is to audit your learning culture. Ask yourself: is training something people endure or something they value?

Second, work on empowering leaders. Invest in development that builds empathy, self-awareness and adaptability, and not just compliance and control.

Next, and crucially, design for humans, not robots, and use behavioural frameworks like COM-B to ensure your processes work with human nature, not against it. Also, involve your people, at every stage.

Learning works best when it’s co-created. Bring frontline teams into the design of training and systems. In fact, the Gartner ‘2025 CHRO Talent Strategy Guide’, states: “instead of taking a top-down approach, HR leaders should make sure change happens with employees, not to them, in order to reduce attrition and change fatigue.”

Finally, champion psychological safety, especially in high-pressure environments. People must feel safe speaking up, asking questions, and admitting mistakes.

Investing in people

While technology and process improvements remain vital, the aviation industry’s greatest opportunity to meet its most complex challenges is by investing in its people, not just in skills but also in culture, behaviour, and leadership.

We’ve seen first-hand the impact of building bottom-up learning cultures that prioritise diversity, continuous improvement, and collective responsibility, and a human-centred design approach helps teams create the conditions for real, lasting change.

But to truly reset, we must also rethink what leadership means. It’s time to move beyond hierarchical, compliance-led models and towards empathetic, purpose-driven leadership at every level.

Aviation is a sector like no other. The stakes are high, but so are the opportunities. That means nurturing cultures where learning is continuous, leadership is shared, and trust is earned. We’ve seen what’s possible when organisations like Heathrow take this approach, and we believe it’s only the beginning.

Charlie Kneen is managing director at Solvd Together

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CASE STUDY: Helping Heathrow develop the leaders of the future