Flying Between the Genders: Organizational Citizenship Behaviours and Turnover Intentions Among Turkish Airlines Pilots

This research aims to examine the relationship between organizational commitment and intention to quit among male and female pilots working in the airline industry. Given the critical role pilots play in aviation, understanding whether gender has a significant impact on these dynamics is one of the objectives of this study. The study also aims to guide airlines in developing effective interview techniques when hiring pilots who exhibit organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) and could potentially reduce future intentions to quit. These objectives were pursued through surveys measuring the five dimensions of OCB and intention to quit. These surveys were administered to pilot unions and airlines across Turkey, resulting in 484 responses, of which 3 were invalid. The findings indicate statistically significant relationships between gender, OCB, and intention to quit female pilots were found to have lower intentions to quit and displayed higher levels of citizenship behaviour compared to their male counterparts. Limitations of the study include the predominantly male sample, biases arising from self-reported data, a cross-sectional design, and the research’s focus on the Turkish airline culture. Despite these limitations, the findings offer important insights into HR strategies for developing OCB and creating gender-related strategies to reduce pilots’ intentions to quit. This study presents new perspectives on the gender dynamics of Turkish airline pilots, a rarely discussed topic in aviation literature. It highlights practical implications for HR practices in retaining pilots and deepens the discussion of OCB in male-dominated sectors and cultural contexts.