Sustainable aviation: the role of green leadership in green human resources management practices

This study addresses the research gap concerning the limited integration of green human resource management (GHRM) practices and leadership theories in explaining pro-environmental behavior (PEB), particularly in highly polluting industries such as aviation. Grounded in the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework and leadership theory, the research examines the direct and indirect effects of green compensation, green training and development, and green leadership on PEB within organizational settings. To achieve this objective, a quantitative research design was employed using PLS-SEM, complemented by importance-performance map analysis, PLS predict, and blindfolding techniques to evaluate model accuracy, predictive relevance, and performance. The key findings indicate that green compensation and green leadership exert significant positive effects on PEB, while green training influences PEB indirectly through leadership. Moreover, green leadership plays a dual role as both mediator and moderator, thereby strengthening the explanatory power of the model. Although the direct effect of green training on PEB was not supported, predictive indicators reveal latent influence, reflecting the complexity of behavioral pathways. The study contributes theoretically by extending GHRM and leadership literature through the application of the AMO framework and demonstrating how leadership conditions the impact of HRM practices on sustainability-oriented behaviors. Practically, the findings underscore that organizations—particularly in the aviation industry, where ecological performance is a strategic may play an important role—should integrate green compensation systems with leadership development initiatives to maximize pro-environmental outcomes. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and potential common method bias, which future studies may address through longitudinal data and multi-source approaches.