Situation of Flight Dispatching in Nepali Aviation
May 1, 2017
A flight dispatcher also known as an aircraft dispatcher, airline dispatcher, flight follower or flight operations officer assists in planning flight paths, analyzing aircraft performance and loading, enroute winds, thunderstorm and turbulence forecasts, airspace restrictions, and airport conditions. The five main responsibilities of flight dispatcher are flight planning, fuel planning, postponing of cancelled flight, communicating and advising with pilot enroute and fulfilling crew requests.
Before conducting any flight, a licensed dispatcher must check all the requirements and sign the checklist to ensure the aircraft is ready for flight. In context of aviation industry of Nepal, this practice is underestimated with the fact that majority of the airline operators in Nepal do not have licensed dispatchers and conduct flight without proper dispatching.
This is a serious issue on aviation safety and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is highly responsible for it. According to the CAAN’s spokesperson Birendra Prasad Shrestha, they are working on finding out the status of flight dispatcher. They have also advised the airline operators to come up with detail information on their practices in flight dispatching. He also added that the Pilot in Command (PIC) can verify the aircraft for takeoff in absence of dispatcher however; this practice has been demoralizing the flight dispatchers.
Safety is the utmost priority for aviation and flight dispatchers are those who enhance aviation safety. So, it is a matter of huge concern to all the respective authorities to maintain the effectiveness of flight dispatching and dispatchers in Nepal.
About Flight Dispatcher Training in Nepal
Civil Aviation Academy (CAA) of Nepal conducts flight dispatcher training with a time period of ten weeks. After completion of training, a candidate must undertake OJT (On the Job Training) in any airline operators for a minimum of 90 days. Then an examination is conducted under the supervision of CAAN to award flight dispatcher license to passed candidates.
The candidate must be +2 passed and minimum 21 years of age to be eligible for applying Flight Dispatcher’s License. Those who take flight dispatcher training from any approved training organization around the world specified by CAAN must undertake 90 days OJT in any airline operator and then attend oral examination held by CAAN to acquire license for working in Nepal.
