Disaster Communication Governance at Yogyakarta International Airport
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v11i2.7005Keywords:
Public Relations, Crisis Communication, Stakeholder Coordination, Disaster Communication, Public TrustAbstract
Public relations in high-risk infrastructure is not limited to media relations or message dissemination, but also includes stakeholder coordination, meaning alignment, and public trust maintenance during a crisis. This study reframes airport disaster communication as a strategic public relations practice by examining how stakeholder coordination is designed, enacted, and strengthened at Yogyakarta International Airport. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, limited observation, and strategic document analysis involving airport authorities, operational units, and disaster-related external stakeholders. Guided by Stakeholder Management Theory and a strategic public relations perspective, the findings show that crisis coordination emerges through negotiated authority, layered information flows, frontline empathetic communication, and simulation-based institutional learning. Formal documents such as standard operating procedures and disaster management plans provide a basic structure, yet their effectiveness depends on cross-unit information synchronization and the capacity to translate technical risk into credible public messages. The study contributes to public relations scholarship by demonstrating that crisis communication in critical infrastructure functions as communicative governance that links stakeholder engagement, organization-public relationships, legitimacy, and adaptive resilience.
References
Abdullah, M. T. R., Cangara, H., & Arianto. (2021). The Analysis of Communication Strategies of North Luwu Regency Government in Socio-Economic Recovery After Landslides and Flash Flood. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Science, Technology, and Modern Society (ICSTMS 2020), 576(24), 453–461. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210909.098
Berger, A. A. (2016). Media and Communication Research Methods | An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Coombs, W. Timothy. (2023). Ongoing Crisis Communication | Planning, Managing, and Responding Sixth Edition. In SAGE Publications, Inc (Vol. 6). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Dougall, E. K., Horsley, J. S., & McLisky, C. (2008). Disaster Communication: Lessons from Indonesia. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 2(2), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/15531180801958188
Fannes, G., & Claeys, A.-S. (2022). Putting empathic feelings into words during times of crisis: The impact of differential verbal empathy expressions on organizational reputation. Public Relations Review, 48(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102183
Freeman, R. E., & Harrison, S. J. (2019). The Cambridge Handbook of Stakeholder Theory. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-stakeholder-theory/AE9C1FC666037E9EB22E2D257AB24AFF
Given, L. M. (2008). Qualitative Research Methods. In SAGE Publications, Inc (1st & 2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Grober, D. A. (2003). The Power of Communication : Managing Information in Public Organizations. CQ Press.
Howe, L., Johnston, S., & Côte, C. (2023). Mining-related environmental disasters: A High Reliability Organization (HRO) perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 417(December 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137965
Jahn, J. L. S. (2021). Managing high-reliability organizations. Handbook of Management Communication, 101, 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501508059-022
Jong, W. (2025). Beyond the snapshot: Rethinking crisis communication theories in dynamic crisis situations. Public Relations Review, 51(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102586
Khair, M. A., Malawat, R., & Ohorella, U. B. (2021). Pengaruh Penyuluhan Siaga Bencana terhadap Peningkatan Preparedness Bencana Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami Masyarakat Pesisir Pantai Negeri Rutah Kabupaten Maluku Tengah. Jurnal Kesehatan Terpadu (Integrated Health Journal), 12(2), 100–108.
Koch, T., & Viererbl, B. (2026). What constitutes an organizational crisis? A scoping review and a conceptual model of crises as stakeholder perceptions (CASPER Model). Public Relations Review, 52(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2026.102681
Ma, X., Ma, L., & Liu, B. F. (2023). Should relationships be at the heart of public relations? A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of organization-public relationships. Public Relations Review, 49(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102388
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2019). Qualitative Data Analysis. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (3rd ed., Vol. 11, Number 1). SAGE Publications Inc. http://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/1091/RED2017-Eng-8ene.pdf?sequence=12&isAllowed=y%0Ahttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2008.06.005%0Ahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/305320484_SISTEM_PEMBETUNGAN_TERPUSAT_STRATEGI_MELESTARI
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Nurjanah, A., Prawoto, N., Apriliani, R., & Nabilazka, C. R. (2023). The Role of Stakeholders as Disaster Communicators at Disaster-Prone Tourist Attraction Objects. Komunikator, 15(2), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.18196/jkm.20158
Pasikowski, S. (2022). Snowball Sampling and Its Non-Trivial Nature. Przegląd Badań Edukacyjnych, 36(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.12775/pbe.2022.001
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods Integrating Theory and Practice. SAGE Publication.
Price, J. C., & Forrest, J. S. (2016). Practical airport operations, safety, and emergency management : protocols for today and the future. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Reynolds, B., & Seeger, M. W. (2005). Crisis and emergency risk communication as an integrative model. Journal of Health Communication, 10(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730590904571
Selamet, J. (2019). Identifying criteria for designing a risk communication system in Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Journal of Disaster Research, 14(9), 1346–1352. https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2019.p1346
Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2013). Theorizing Crisis Communication. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sivakumar, S. (2022). A novel Integrated Risk Management Method for Airport operations. Journal of Air Transport Management, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2022.102296
Sufri, S., & Lassa, J. A. (2024). Integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Aceh: Progress and challenges after 20 Years of Indian Ocean Tsunamis. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104894
Tam, L., & Mehta, A. (2025). Beyond blame: Extending crisis responsibility through multi-stakeholder responsibility, cause attribution, and solution attribution. Public Relations Review, 51(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102623
Udir, K. M., Golob, U., & Podnar, K. (2025). Exploring public relations’ social impact: Insights from a Delphi study. Public Relations Review, 51(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102637
Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative Research from Start to Finish. In The Guilford Press (Vol. 2, Number 1). The Guilford Press, A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc. http://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/1091/RED2017-Eng-8ene.pdf?sequence=12&isAllowed=y%0Ahttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2008.06.005%0Ahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/305320484_SISTEM_PEMBETUNGAN_TERPUSAT_STRATEGI_MELESTARI
Yulianto, E., Utari, P., & Satyawan, I. A. (2020). Communication technology support in disaster-prone areas: Case study of earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction in Palu, Indonesia. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101457
Zhao, X., Cheng, Y., Lee, J., & Shaw, J. (2024). Situating deep learning in a related management approach: Examining the dynamics and outcomes of contingent organization-public relationships (COPRs) in crisis. Public Relations Review, 50(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102437
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
