Flight Dispatchers and Operations Staff: Legal Status in Türkiye

Aviation Law Series

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A flight dispatcher is a licensed specialist responsible for flight planning, monitoring and operational control. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM) issues the licence; the operator is responsible for continuing training and competence.

1. Who is a flight dispatcher?

A dispatcher works in the operations control centre, prepares flight plans, monitors flights and coordinates with the flight crew. The role combines aviation regulation with employment law. SHY-UHU and Circular UOD-2026/1 provide complementary definitions of the licensed flight operations specialist.

• Flight dispatcher (FD): a licensed specialist carrying out planning, monitoring and operational control.
• Instructor dispatcher (FDI): an instructor meeting the experience conditions in the licensing regulation; the source text refers to at least five years of dispatcher experience.
• Assistant dispatcher (AFD): unlicensed operations-centre staff working alongside a responsible licensed dispatcher. Assistant status does not itself confer a dispatcher licence.

2. Licensing under SHY-UHU

The Flight Operations Specialist Licensing Regulation was published in Official Gazette No. 29655 on 16 March 2016, replacing the former SHD: T-44 regulation. Amendments include those of 15 January 2019 and 17 April 2022. A second revision draft circulated for stakeholder comment on 12 June 2025 must not be treated as effective law merely because it was published for consultation.

SHGM issues a licence when the prescribed theoretical and practical training and minimum internship requirements are met. Applications require the documents in Annex 3 (Article 18). Under the 17 April 2022 version, practical training includes classroom flight planning, crew briefing and monitoring outside rostered shift duties, including 25 hours of practical training and four hours observing flight operations.

SHGM's announcement at the time the regulation was published described two-year licences and a six-month suspension for safety violations, together with administrative fines under SHY-İPC. The current applicable text must be checked when assessing a particular licence or sanction. Training may be provided only by organisations authorised by SHGM.

3. Operator obligations: UOD-2026/1

Published on 15 September 2026, this circular regulates training and checking for dispatchers employed by commercial air transport operators and the qualifications of instructors and checkers. Under Article 8(4), a dispatcher cannot independently perform flight planning, monitoring or operational control, or be rostered alone, before successfully completing the on-the-job training and checking within operator conversion training.

A person who has not completed recurrent training on time, or has failed the assessment, cannot be rostered independently until the training and success criteria are met (Article 10(7)). Outsourcing training does not transfer the operator's responsibility for the suitability, implementation and oversight of its programme (Article 6(2)).

• Conversion training: required for newly employed licensed dispatchers; ground instruction precedes on-the-job training.
• On-the-job training and checking: practical work on flight planning, performance, mass and balance, MEL/CDL, NOTAMs, weather, monitoring and coordination. Failure requires additional training before independent shift work.
• Recurrent training: every 12 months; the syllabus may be distributed over no more than three consecutive years. Dangerous goods (DGR) recurrent training has a 24-month cycle.
• Familiarisation flight: active dispatchers undertake at least one every 12 months in an actual flight observer seat or suitable simulator.
• Instructors and checkers: relevant conditions include a valid licence, at least three years holding a licence, at least two years of active work including the last year with the operator, instructor training and CRM/DRM training. On-the-job instructors and checker dispatchers have their own conditions, including two years of actual service.
• Transition and sanctions: existing operators submit revisions to Operations Manual Part D within three months of publication. Non-compliance engages Article 143 of Law No. 2920 and/or SHY-İPC.

The syllabus covers aviation law and ATC, aircraft systems and principles, operational procedures, performance, navigation, planning and monitoring, weather, mass and balance, MEL/CDL, dangerous goods, security, emergency response, flight observation and CRM/DRM. References include ICAO Doc 7192, Part D-3, and Doc 10106.

4. Different levels of responsibility

Administrative responsibility: licence measures and fines arise under the aviation rules; the operator retains its training and oversight obligations. Employment responsibility: the dispatcher owes contractual duties of care and loyalty. Fault and the circumstances matter when assessing compensation. Third-party liability: the allocation of responsibility depends on the incident, the operator's approved manuals and the division of authority between operator, captain and dispatcher; there is no automatic uniform allocation of fault.

Complete flight plans, briefings, NOTAM and weather assessments, crew coordination and shift-handover records matter for safety and evidence. Contracts and job descriptions should match the powers and responsibilities in approved manuals.

5. Shifts, night work and rest

SHT-FTL's flight-crew and cabin-crew limits do not automatically govern ground-based dispatchers. Ground and operations staff not actually participating in flight are subject to the Labour Law according to their status, including the 45-hour working week, 11-hour daily limit, night work, shifts, balancing arrangements and overtime rules.

The operator's safety management system should nevertheless assess operations-centre fatigue, consecutive night shifts and rest. Contracts and internal procedures should clarify the consequences of incomplete training for shifts and pay; a failed assessment does not automatically justify a particular employment measure.

6. Loss of licence, failed checks and employment

• Suspension or revocation prevents the employee from carrying out licensed duties. Reassignment, unpaid leave or termination must be assessed under the contract and employment law. Unpaid leave is not an unrestricted unilateral power of the employer.
• A failed recurrent course or check requires further training and reassessment before independent duty. The operator should administer the process reasonably and consistently.
• Where the Labour Law applies, termination for inadequate performance requires assessment of the relevant substantive and procedural conditions, including a valid reason, defence requirements and termination as a last resort where applicable. Training, warnings and remedial records are important evidence.
• A training repayment agreement is assessed against actual costs, proportionality and service already completed. A repayment demand is not automatically enforceable.

7. Sources

• SHY-UHU and its amendments.
• SHGM announcement and Circular UOD-2026/1.
• SHY-6A, SHT-OPS, civil aviation training and examination rules, SHY-İPC and Article 143 of Law No. 2920.
• SHGM official legislation portal.

General information on Turkish law. A specific assessment requires the current official texts, licence, employment contract and approved operations manuals.

Related article: Training costs and service commitments