{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T10:40:06Z","timestamp":1765881606365,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Modestum Ltd","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p xml:lang=\"en\">This paper investigates how the Mirpuri Foundation and its affiliated airline, Hi Fly, have led a private-sector sustainability transition in European aviation between 2015 and 2025. Using a longitudinal single-case study grounded in the multi-level perspective (MLP) and reflexive governance theory, the study analyses Hi Fly\u2019s evolution across three phases: early experimentation, crisis-induced strategic reflection and regime-aligned institutionalization. Based on 25 stakeholder interviews, document analysis and survey data, the research traces how Hi Fly, and other similar European airlines in general, have advanced operational sustainability, influenced policy discourse and embedded environmental governance across their organization. The study identifies five interrelated measures that supported this transition: (1) operational innovations, (2) strategic governance reform, (3) value chain alignment, (4) policy engagement and (5) resilience-based sustainability framing. These findings illustrate how a mid-sized carrier, such as Hi Fly, can act as a transition intermediary, aligning with EU climate policy, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emerging Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure frameworks. Although this case is situated within the Portuguese aviation context, its insights may be relevant to other mid-sized airlines in similar regulatory environments. The study suggests that the most resilient actors in 2025-2030 may be those who treat sustainability not merely as compliance, but as a strategic capability and long-term organizational value.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.29333\/ejosdr\/17554","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T10:35:22Z","timestamp":1765881322000},"page":"em0360","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Sustainability transitions in European aviation: A private-sector case study of Hi Fly and the Mirpuri foundation"],"prefix":"10.29333","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1832-2919","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yazan","family":"Khalayleh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, Campus Universit\u00e1rio de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, PORTUGAL"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4329-6246","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o Carlos de Oliveira","family":"Matias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, Campus Universit\u00e1rio de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, PORTUGAL"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4284-1628","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carina Maria Oliveira","family":"Pimentel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Production and Systems Department, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Campus Azur\u00e9m, 4800-058 Guimar\u00e3es, PORTUGAL"}]}],"member":"11882","reference":[{"key":"538069","unstructured":"Airbus. 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