Modelling Behavioural Factors Affecting Consumers’ Intention to Adopt Electric Aircraft: A Multi-Method Investigation

Abstract

Electric aircraft are seen as a key option for reducing the environmental footprint of the aviation industry. This research aims to identify the factors that influence Turkish air travellers’ intentions to adopt electric aircraft by building upon the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A structured online survey was developed to gather cross-sectional data from 217 air travellers using convenience sampling. The data were analysed through a multi-method approach, including structural equation modelling (SEM) for sufficiency analysis and necessary condition analysis (NCA) for necessity analysis. The findings reveal that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, personal moral norms, and green trust positively correlate with the intention to adopt electric aircraft, whereas perceived risk has a negative correlation. Moreover, the NCA indicates that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, personal moral norms, environmental knowledge, and green trust are necessary conditions for the intention to adopt electric aircraft, reinforcing these results. This study is the first empirical attempt to investigate the formation of the intention to adopt electric aircraft, built on both sufficiency and necessity logics.