Facundo Conforti
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.Like pilots, flight dispatchers must take a specific course on the aircraft in which they will operate their dispatch, limiting themselves only to being able to dispatch this class of aircraft in each operation. In simple words, a Dispatcher authorized for an Airbus A320 aircraft could not legally dispatch a Boeing B737 aircraft.The tasks of the Flight Dispatcher are several and include: meteorology analysis, NOTAMS analysis, analysis of the condition of the aircraft and MEL, 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 with all the information collected so that they can make the final decision to operate the aircraft in one way or another.The task of the Flight Dispatcher begins at the company’s operations office, usually located at each airport where the company operates. Until the moment in which the pilot takes command of the operation and accepts the dispatch proposed by the Dispatcher, the Dispatcher is the authority of the operation, who decides if the aircraft is in a position to carry out the flight, based on all the aforementioned variables.This manual covers an introduction to the day-to-day job carried out by aircraft dispatchers, flight dispatchers or aircraft dispatchers (variants of the job title) and contemplates an analysis of the most important subjects for the position, such as: concepts about dispatch, weight and balancing, meteorology and planning. 10
