There exists no predefined framework for aviation policy making and
development. While aviation policy planning in most developed countries comes
as a result of institutional and industry coordination and is embedded within
other national policies addressing the welfare and growth of the country, it is
found that in many cases in less developed countries (LDCs), aviation policy
planning is often influenced by political pressures and the interests of fund
donors. The complexity of this situation in the developing countries results in
aviation plans that represent stand alone studies and attempt to find solutions to
specific problems rather than comprehensive aviation plans which fit well the
country‘s competitiveness profile and are properly coordinated with other
national policies for achieving medium and long-term objectives. This study
provides a three-stage policy development framework for aviation strategic
planning based on situational analysis and performance benchmarking
practices in order to assemble policy elements and produce a best-fit aviation
strategy.
The framework builds on study results that indicate an association between air
transport sector performance and aviation policy strategies, arguing that it is not
sufficient to simply describe performance but also to be able to assess it and
understand how policymakers can use strategic planning tools to affect the air
transport industry efficiency levels. This can be achieved by recognizing the
level of the country‘s stage of development and working on enhancing the policy
elements that produce better output and induce more contributions by aviation
to the national economic development and connectivity levels.
The proposed aviation policy development framework is systematic and
continuous. It helps policymakers in LDC to manage uncertainty in complex
situations by allowing them to defend, correct and re-examine the policy actions
based on a forward thinking approach which incorporates the contingency
elements of the policy and tracks the developments that can affect the odds of
its success. The framework‘s elements and its flow of process are explained by
providing an illustrative example applied to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan