A Hesitant Fuzzy‐Based Multi‐Criteria Evaluation of Aviation Industry Problems Using CRITIC‐DEMATEL‐MABAC

ABSTRACT

The airline industry is crucial to the global economy and international connectivity, yet it faces significant challenges that threaten its financial sustainability. These challenges arise from both external and internal factors, including fluctuations in crude oil prices and political instability. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel multi‐attribute ideal–real comparative decision‐making framework that integrates three established methods: CRITIC (criteria importance through inter‐criterion correlation), DEMATEL (decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory), and MABAC (multi‐attribute border approximation area comparison). Within a hesitant fuzzy (HF) environment, CRITIC is employed to determine objective criteria weights, DEMATEL identifies causal relationships, and MABAC is applied to rank the alternatives. The resulting HF‐CRITIC‐DEMATEL‐MABAC framework enables a systematic evaluation of interrelated operational, financial, and strategic factors. It highlights the relative importance of aviation challenges and supports effective prioritization under uncertainty. This integrated approach contributes to the development of uncertainty‐aware decision support systems for complex aviation problems. The illustrative case study demonstrates the applicability of the framework rather than providing generalizable conclusions.