VIRTUOUS AVIATION: MORAL COMMITMENT TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE IN INDONESIA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) regards CO_2 emission as the highest priority agenda to be tackled by the aviation industry. However, air traffic for both passengers and goods increases faster than the increase of its efficiency. This research aims at explaining the concept of Environmental Virtue Ethics (EVE) both in the Western and Islāmic perspectives, and its urgency as an alternative approach to deal with the environmental ethical dilemma in the aviation industry particularly in Indonesia. This research employs descriptive-explorative qualitative methodology. Data collection is through literature studies and interviews with two environmental scientists in Indonesia. The results suggest that by using environmental virtue ethics especially in the Islāmic perspective, the focus of the aviation industry is directed towards virtuous aviation which is quality of flights with moral commitment to the environment. The aviation industry has undergone severe impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic and must formulate new strategies for sustainable aviation which address EVE. The strategy should involve the virtue of simplicity (qanã’ah, sakhã’ and wara’), independence (freedom/hurriyyah) and justice (adãlah). EVE that accommodate religious values is urgently required as an alternative to secular ethics. Islāmic Virtue Ethics will enhance human character and transform people into virtuous persons. Religious values held by the people of Indonesia could also be the basis for developing environmental ethics based on virtue ethics.