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Journals / Havacılık ve Uzay Çalışmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 6 Sayı: 2

Artificial intelligence and digital technologies in aviation: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and knowledge structures

Havacılıkta yapay zekâ ve dijital teknolojiler: Araştırma eğilimleri ve bilgi yapılarına ilişkin bibliyometrik bir analiz

Engin Kanbur(KASTAMONU ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-6261-9314
Volkan Mazıoğlu(KASTAMONU ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-3279-3100
Pages
325–341
Publication Date
2026-08-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Thus, these results demonstrate an interdisciplinary research area with strong relationships between aviation management, operations research, human factors and engineering.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:In recent times, the aviation industry has experienced a major change due to a growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and technology for digital transformation.
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Key Findings & Data:These technologies can improve efficiency, safety, and performance throughout the aviation sector and could be used for many different purposes, including air traffic management, operational planning, predictive maintenance, and decision support systems.
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Conclusion & Impact:Thus, these results demonstrate an interdisciplinary research area with strong relationships between aviation management, operations research, human factors and engineering.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:2015 - 2025 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Havacılık · yapay zekâ · makine öğrenmesi

Abstract

In recent times, the aviation industry has experienced a major change due to a growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and technology for digital transformation. These technologies can improve efficiency, safety, and performance throughout the aviation sector and could be used for many different purposes, including air traffic management, operational planning, predictive maintenance, and decision support systems. To investigate the history, conceptual structure, and intellectual basis of existing academic literature on AI and digital technologies in the aviation industry, this study provides a detailed bibliometric analysis of the existing literature on this issue. This study used existing articles indexed in the Scopus database from 2015 - 2025 as its dataset, which contained 1302 articles about AI, machine learning, big data, digital transformation technologies, automation, decision support systems, and blockchain in an aviation context. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer software to conduct keyword co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, and bibliography coupling techniques to identify common themes within the existing literature. Based on the analysis undertaken, it was understood that literature predominantly consists of the following themes: machine learning, deep learning, air traffic management, and data-driven decision support systems. Thus, these results demonstrate an interdisciplinary research area with strong relationships between aviation management, operations research, human factors and engineering. The results of the bibliographic coupling analysis also reveal new research areas on data analytics, intelligent air traffic management systems, and autonomous aviation technologies. The findings of this study will assist researchers in understanding how artificial intelligence and digital transformation affect aviation, and it presents a foundation for future studies about these topics by providing a systematic framework for the conceptual and intellectual organization of the field.

Özet

Havacılık sektörü, son yıllarda yapay zekâ, büyük veri analitiği ve dijital dönüşüm teknolojilerinin hızla yaygınlaşmasıyla birlikte önemli bir dönüşüm sürecinden geçmektedir. Bu teknolojiler, hava trafik yönetimi, operasyonel planlama, bakım tahminleme ve karar destek sistemleri gibi birçok alanda havacılık sistemlerinin verimliliğini, güvenliğini ve operasyonel performansını artırma potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu çalışma, havacılık alanında yapay zekâ ve dijital teknolojilere ilişkin akademik literatürün gelişimini, kavramsal yapısını ve entelektüel temelini ortaya koymak amacıyla bibliyometrik bir analiz sunmaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında Scopus veri tabanında 2015–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanan ve yapay zekâ, makine öğrenmesi, büyük veri analitiği, dijital dönüşüm, otomasyon, karar destek sistemleri ve blok zincir gibi teknolojileri havacılık bağlamında ele alan toplam 1302 akademik çalışma incelenmiştir. Veri analizi VOSviewer yazılımı kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiş ve anahtar kelime eş-oluşum analizi, eş-atıf analizi, ortak yazarlık analizi ve bibliyografik eşleştirme analizleri uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, literatürün özellikle makine öğrenmesi, derin öğrenme, hava trafik yönetimi ve veri temelli karar destek sistemleri etrafında yoğunlaştığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca araştırma alanının disiplinlerarası bir yapıya sahip olduğu ve havacılık yönetimi, operasyon araştırması, insan faktörleri ve mühendislik disiplinleri arasında güçlü etkileşimler bulunduğu belirlenmiştir. Bibliyografik eşleştirme analizleri ise literatürdeki güncel araştırma cephelerinin veri analitiği, akıllı hava trafik yönetimi ve otonom sistemler gibi temalar etrafında şekillendiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca çalışma, havacılıkta yapay zekâ ve dijital teknolojiler literatürünün kavramsal ve entelektüel yapısını sistematik biçimde haritalandırarak gelecekteki araştırmalar için önemli çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Kanbur, E., Mazıoğlu, V. (2026). Artificial intelligence and digital technologies in aviation: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and knowledge structures. Havacılık ve Uzay Çalışmaları Dergisi, Cilt: 6 Sayı: 2, 325–341. https://doi.org/10.52995/jass.1929658

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