Flight Dispatcher Job Description
The Flight or airline dispatchers coordinate all activity on the airport grounds to ensure that planes arrive and depart safely, quickly, and efficiently. These aircraft dispatchers are also referred to as turnaround coordinators (TCOs) , load controllers. They aid in planning flight routes by considering aircraft performance, thunderstorm and turbulence forecasts in the flight routes, airspace limitations, and airport conditions. The flight dispatcher job description also involves ensuring that pre-flight safety and maintenance checks have been carried out. You can visit Aviation Job Search to find out more about the flight dispatcher vacancies.
Flight Dispatcher Job Responsibilities
The aircraft dispatcher job responsibilities include monitoring aircraft arrivals, departures and amending turnaround schedules if there are delays. By liaising with the ground staff and crew, they must ensure that tasks, such as cleaning, refuelling and loading, are completed on time. They are responsible for calculating how much fuel is required for maintaining the aircraft's weight. The airline dispatcher’s job responsibilities also include calculating the payload (such as weight of passengers, cargo and fuel). They are required to plan where everything must be positioned in the aircraft. They prepare flight paperwork for the crew and weather reports.
Skills Required to Build A Flight Dispatcher Career
To become a successful aircraft dispatcher, you should have strong communication skills combined with excellent planning and IT knowledge. You must gain a comprehensive understanding of the importance of security, health and safety to handle unordinary situations tactfully. Excellent problem-solving skills along with good team working skills can help you climb the success ladder fast. A responsible approach and strategy towards an emergency at the airport is a plus point. You must have the ability to calmly manage flight operations, make decisions quickly, manage more than one task at once and deal with technicalities. For exploring more Flight dispatcher jobs, please visit Aviation Job Search portal.
Working Conditions of Aircraft Dispatcher Jobs
In Aircraft Dispatcher jobs, people often work under extreme pressure, especially in bad flying conditions. They are required to make quick decisions regarding safety, flight regulations, and the economy of operations. In a busy, noisy environment, these employees are often surrounded by teletype machines, telephones, and intercom systems. The duties of a schedule coordinator and meteorologist are shared by those who work for small airlines. Depending on where they are working, they might be required to have “familiarization flights” for at least 5 hours per year. Most airlines treat dispatchers as pilot cockpit crewmembers and grant them this privilege unlimitedly. Hundreds of airlines around the globe recognize the importance of an airline dispatcher and freely extend their cockpit jumpseat authority to them; this is one of the best benefits for dispatchers. Flight dispatchers need to be able to work a variety of shifts, including weekends, holidays, and days.
Flight Dispatcher Jobs’ Opportunities for Growth
People can apply for flight dispatcher jobs from various backgrounds and careers provided they have the relevant training; these previous jobs can be as dispatch clerks or junior flight dispatchers, radio operators and meteorologists, station managers, or radio operators. Senior dispatchers are responsible for coordinating all aspects of a flight’s finances at a large airline. Promotions usually come from within. You can use your experience as an airline dispatcher to qualify for a job with the local CAA or FAA, depending on where you’re located, to qualify as an air traffic controller or an airport director. Furthermore, companies are reluctant to reduce the number of dispatchers as they are vital in an airline’s operation. The introduction of low-cost regional airlines is also creating opportunities.
