Ethics in Aviation

 What is ethics?

To me, ethics is the basis of one's moral standards. It is where one differentiates between what is right and what is wrong. Ethics can mean many different things depending on who you ask. In generalized terms, having good ethics includes the following:

• Following the rules
• Speaking up when something is wrong
• Fixing something until it is right
• Doing what is fair
• Holding oneself to a high standard

What is ethics in aviation?

Ethics is arguably one of the most important aspects of aviation. Ethics goes hand-in-hand with safety and professionalism in the industry. Without incorporating those elements, aviation would not exist today for it would become a toxic and dangerous environment. An example of unethical behavior in the aviation industry in recent years can be seen through the Boeing 737-MAX crashes. What has been found when analyzing the cause for the crashes was that Boeing prioritized the project deadline of the new 737 MAX instead of safety. The aircraft included faulty airframe characteristics, a lack of fail-safes on their new MCAS system, and the company hid many important design aspects from the FAA and the pilots flying the 737 MAX (Cruz & Dias, 2020). These crashes could've been prevented if the company stuck to its moral principles and did what was right in the aspect of safety. In order for the aviation industry to thrive, there must be a high code of ethics. This means reporting things that feel wrong, sticking to rules and regulations, maintaining a professional environment, etc. The list could go on.

Cruz, B. S., Dias, M., (January 2020). Crashed boeing 737-max: Fatalities or malpractice?. Global Scientific Journals, 8(1). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Murillo-Dias/publication/339018537_CRASHED_BOEING_737-MAX_FATALITIES_OR_MALPRACTICE/links/5e3a53fea6fdccd96587f5eb/CRASHED-BOEING-737-MAX-FATALITIES-OR-MALPRACTICE.pdf