Risk Management in the Airline Industry Essay Example
BACKGROUND
There are few industries that are exposed to such a diverse assortment of risks as the airline industry. Ever since the first powered human flight in 1903, the progress of aviation and air travel has been inextricably linked to economic and political developments. The airlines of today face all of the four major categories of risk; operational, strategic, operational, financial and hazard risks.
During the past 50 years, the airline industry has gone through several major changes. In the 70’s and 80’s, the North American and European airline industries were deregulated. This allowed new airlines to compete more freely with the established major carriers. This put a pressure on the profitability of airlines, and subsequently led to the emergence of the low-cost carriers that are now dominating the regional markets in Europe and North America. The price hikes in oil in the late 70’s also had a substantial effect, leading to higher fuel costs and spelling the doom for several airlines.
More recently, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001 led to a significant drop in the demand for air travel. The ensuing wars in the oil-producing countries around the Persian Gulf spurred a substantial increase in oil prices. The airline industry has also suffered from flu outbreaks and volcano eruptions, which has decreased demand and driven up costs, respectively.
WHY MANAGE RISK?
Firm believers in Modigliani & Miller’s theories would argue that companies theoretically should not hedge any risks, since shareholders can diversify away any risks taken by the individual firm. In practice however, we can see many examples where risk management has been successfully implemented and helped increase shareholder value. Specific reasons to manage risks are detailed below:
* A major reason to manage risk is to reduce the cost of financial distress. These costs can be decomposed into two parts, the cost of default and the likelihood of default. Risk management
There are few industries that are exposed to such a diverse assortment of risks as the airline industry. Ever since the first powered human flight in 1903, the progress of aviation and air travel has been inextricably linked to economic and political developments. The airlines of today face all of the four major categories of risk; operational, strategic, operational, financial and hazard risks.
During the past 50 years, the airline industry has gone through several major changes. In the 70’s and 80’s, the North American and European airline industries were deregulated. This allowed new airlines to compete more freely with the established major carriers. This put a pressure on the profitability of airlines, and subsequently led to the emergence of the low-cost carriers that are now dominating the regional markets in Europe and North America. The price hikes in oil in the late 70’s also had a substantial effect, leading to higher fuel costs and spelling the doom for several airlines.
More recently, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001 led to a significant drop in the demand for air travel. The ensuing wars in the oil-producing countries around the Persian Gulf spurred a substantial increase in oil prices. The airline industry has also suffered from flu outbreaks and volcano eruptions, which has decreased demand and driven up costs, respectively.
WHY MANAGE RISK?
Firm believers in Modigliani & Miller’s theories would argue that companies theoretically should not hedge any risks, since shareholders can diversify away any risks taken by the individual firm. In practice however, we can see many examples where risk management has been successfully implemented and helped increase shareholder value. Specific reasons to manage risks are detailed below:
* A major reason to manage risk is to reduce the cost of financial distress. These costs can be decomposed into two parts, the cost of default and the likelihood of default. Risk management