Last Updated: Thursday, 27 June, 2024 at 0501ET
"What does an Aircraft Dispatcher do?" by Airways Magazine (YouTube video)
"Aircraft Dispatchers at 'Envoy'" (YouTube video)
Airline operations is a complex task, requiring may different people working together to get every plane pushed from the gate on time, and getting it to proceed to its final destination. Pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and ground personnel are the obvious key players in the operation, but there is one vital individual required that most people seem to be unaware of – the dispatcher.
Dispatchers are the secret ingredient of the operation who ensure that each flight is planned, routed, and flying safely and legally. These individuals have licenses issued by the FAA that make them experts in flight following and planning. Their responsibilities include a) creating flight plans, b) calculating fuel loads, c) following part 121 federal regulations, d) monitoring weather, winds, and other conditions that may affect the flight, e) communicating with the flight crew to keep them up-to-date with any changing conditions, and f) maintaining operational control.
Dispatchers are on the ground, normally situated at an airline’s headquarters in Operational Control Centers (OCC). Most airlines these days have done extensive human factors and ergonomics studies to determine the best working environment for dispatchers, including dimmed, colored lighting, noise considerations, and room setup. Dispatchers have high stress jobs, so ergonomic-conscious work-conditions are imperative to a smooth operation.
Operational control is a term normally associated with the Pilot-in-Command (PIC, colloquially known as "Captain"), but in actuality it is a joint responsibility between the PIC and the Aircraft Dispatcher. Only the PIC and the dispatcher hav the authority to delay, cancel, reroute, and divert flights.
For example, a flight may have been dispatched to Orlando with perfectly good visibility, but a few hours later an afternoon a storm of unexpected and un-forecast ferocity rolls in, making it unsafe and/or illegal to land at the destination airport.
The dispatcher is responsible for monitoring that weather and notifying the flight crew so they can prepare to divert to their alternate.
The dispatcher works with the flight-crew to get them things they need, such as the new airport’s Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) and their projected fuel burn. And the diversion airport will need to be alerted of the unexpected aircraft.
Every single flight is a joint operation between both the flight crew and the dispatcher who all must work together to ensure each flight is safe and legal, but the joint operational control are exercised only by the Captain ("PIC") and the Aircraft Dispatcher.
Because dispatchers have a very large set of rules and regulations to follow, this article will cover very basic information to give an overview of their jobs, skipping nuances.
Every dispatch release must contain, or have attached to it, weather reports, available weather forecasts, or a combination thereof, for the destination airport, intermediate stops, and alternate airports, that are the latest available at the time the release is signed by the pilot in command and dispatcher.
It may include any additional available weather reports or forecasts that the pilot in command or the aircraft dispatcher considers necessary or desirable.”
Additionally, crew names, NOTAMs, and mode of navigation, or the route, will be on the release.
Flight Following. As stated earlier, dispatchers are expected to follow each of their flights and update the flight crew with changing information. This includes watching the enroute weather conditions, the weather conditions at the departure and arrival airports and ensuring that minimums are legal for the aircraft to take-off and land.
Fuel Load. Dispatchers are responsible for ensuring the aircraft is dispatched with the appropriate level of fuel for each flight, including alternate- and reserve-fuel. Weather along the route, potential diversions on account of weather or traffic, and potential holds must also be taken into consideration.
Alternates. An alternate (mostly) is required to be on the dispatch release if the weather at the destination airport does not have at least have a 2000 ft ceiling, at least a 3 miles of visibility, one hour before and one hour after the scheduled arrival time. If an alternate is required at the time of the release but does not make it onto the release and the flight departs, the flight is considered “illegal” until the release is amended.
Minimum equipment list (MEL) items. MELs refer to items that are part of the airplane but are inoperative for one reason or another. They typically have procedures associated with them that the dispatcher & crew must conduct prior to a flight. All MELs must be included on the flight plan and if one is added or removed, then the dispatcher must track that and update the release as appropriate. If an aircraft departs with an incorrect MEL, then the flight has departed illegally.
ACARS & ARINC. Dispatchers must communicate with the flight crews throughout the flight. The most common way nowadays is via the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or simply, ACARS. It is a messaging system that allows pilots and dispatchers to essentially “text” each other and is an easy, efficient way for flight crews to get fuel numbers, reroutes, weather conditions, and other important information. ARINC for voice communication is also used, as is a Satellite phone.
Dispatchers do a lot of the leg work that gets each flight ready for departure; they focus on safety, legality, and efficiency. Without their set of eyes, the pilots would be blind to conditions unknown to them or outside of their control. Dispatchers keep aircraft out of the path of bad weather, help coordinate emergency situations - or much more often than not prevent them from occurring in the first place, and help relieve the pilots of their workload. They are often regarded as the "third person in the cockpit," even if their feet are solidly planted on the ground.
Aircraft Dispatchers may have occasionally difficult jobs, but it can be extremely rewarding. To be qualified to work as an Aircraft Dispatcher at a U.S. airline, individuals must be (a) 23 years old, read, write, and speak English, (b) go through an extensive training program, (c) accumulate at least 200 hours of instruction on specific topics, (d) pass FAA mandated tests, including (e) a written knowledge exam, (f) a flight planning test, and (g) an oral exam.
If you are a pilot, air traffic controller, navigator or meteorologist you may be able to receive a dispatch license with fewer hours as some proficiency topics overlap.
Most details can be found at 14 CFR Part 65 Subpart C and the appendix.
In Summary
Dispatching a flight not only represents organizing the departure of an aircraft but also involves an endless number of operational issues in charge of qualified personnel for that purpose. The figure of Aircraft Dispatcher was born with the need to guarantee the safety of both the aircraft and its occupants and other personnel on the ground. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) recognizes the figure of Flight Dispatcher as a pillar in air safety. As such, commercial air companies must have a certain number of flight dispatchers, depending on the size of their fleet, and number & type of flights.
Like pilots, flight dispatchers must take a specific course on the aircraft in which they will operate their dispatch. For instance, a Dispatcher authorized for an Airbus A320 aircraft may not legally dispatch a Boeing B737 aircraft unless trained for that type, as well.
The tasks of the Flight Dispatcher are several and include: meteorology analysis, NOTAMS analysis, analysis of the condition of the aircraft and MELs, analysis of cargo in holds, passengers, luggage, weight centering, aircraft swaying, determination of speeds for the takeoff segment and other operational calculations. Once the work is finished, the Flight Dispatcher gives the pilots a folder (electronically, nowadays) with all the information collected so that they can make the final decision to operate the aircraft.