Definition
The operational facility within an airline that is jointly responsible, with the captain, for the safe planning and conduct of each flight. The dispatch office prepares the flight release, monitors weather and operational conditions, calculates fuel and routing, and maintains contact with the flight crew before and during the flight.
Plain English
The airline office on the ground that helps plan each flight, works out the route and fuel, watches the weather, and stays in touch with the crew while they fly.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation acronym lists, airline operations, flight planning, and communication between airline crews and company personnel.
Why Pilots Care
The ADO issues the flight release and provides critical updates that affect go/no-go decisions and en route changes.
Intuition Check
Do not read “dispatch” here as just “sending a flight away.” In airline use, dispatch includes planning, coordination, and monitoring support for the flight.
Example Sentence 1
The crew received their updated flight release from the airline dispatch office before pushback.
Example Sentence 2
ADO personnel monitored the flight and alerted the crew to an updated arrival time.