Industry 4.0 technologies revolutionizing the civil aviation sector: e-services technology adoption in aviation industry

Industry 4.0 technologies have optimized efficiency and effectiveness through the manufacture of sophisticated products and services, which result in enhancement of operations, improvement in safety, time, and cost-saving, and have revolutionized operations in almost all industries and have tremendously transformed the aviation sector. This study aims to examine the passenger travel experience with the implementation of e-services before, during, and after trips, from ticket bookings, self-check-in, smart boarding, in-flight services to baggage tracking after flight. Furthermore, the study seeks to identify the modern technologies with which air passengers are familiar or actively use, and to analyze the factors that influence their acceptance of these e-services. A research model was developed based on the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and modified to suit the objectives of this study. The study objectives were achieved through a survey, a self-administered online questionnaire from 253 air passengers was obtained, and data was analyzed using SPSS 25 software. The results reveal that performance expectancy, price-value, hedonic motivations, perceived benefits and habit have a positive significant influence on behavioral intention, while social influence, perceived challenges, facilitating conditions and effort expectancy were not supported. The results of the study give insights into how different passengers, different age groups, different geographical locations, and different technological maturity perceive such implementations. This will provide policymakers ideas on how to better manage and enhance e-services.