Requirements for flight dispatchers: licensing, certification, responsibilities

Abstract

Flight dispatchers are the heart of an airline. They are the main liaison to the cockpit crew. He/she is the person authorized by the appropriate authorities or airlines to exercise Operational Control, Flight Planning, and Inflight Assistance. Flight Dispatchers are the best kept secret of an airline. Whether a flight can be performed – in operational and technical terms – depends on a number of factors: wind, weather at destination and enroute, navigation aids and equipment, airport facilities, the aircraft`s technical condition and performance, fuel uplift needs and a lot more. The flight dispatcher`s job is to coordinate all these variables to ensure that flight operation is conducted as safely and economically as possible.The terms "flight dispatcher", "aircraft dispatcher" and "flight operations officer" are largely interchangeable depending on the area of the world in which they are used. The term "Aircraft dispatcher" is used in the United States, while "flight operations officer" is more common in Europe and Africa, and "flight dispatcher" is typically used in Asia and the Middle East.