49 U.S.C. § 44748
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)No person may serve as an aircraft dispatcher for an air carrier unless such person holds the appropriate aircraft dispatcher certificate issued by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
- (b)Upon the request of the Administrator or an authorized representative of the National Transportation Safety Board, or other appropriate Federal agency, a person who holds such a certificate, and is performing dispatching, shall present the certificate for inspection.
- (c)
- (1)Each air carrier shall establish and maintain sufficient dispatch centers and flight following centers necessary to maintain operational control of each flight of the air carrier at all times.
- (2)An air carrier shall ensure that each dispatch center and flight following center of the air carrier—
- (A)has a sufficient number of aircraft dispatchers on duty at the dispatch center or flight following center to ensure proper operational control of each flight of the air carrier at all times;
- (B)has the necessary equipment, in good repair, to maintain proper operational control of each flight of the air carrier at all times; and
- (C)includes the presence of physical security and cybersecurity protections to prevent unauthorized access to the dispatch center or flight following center or to the operations of either such center.
- (d)
- (1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), an air carrier may not dispatch aircraft from any location other than the dispatch center or flight following center of the air carrier.
- (2)In the event of an emergency or other event that renders a dispatch center or a flight following center inoperable, an air carrier may dispatch aircraft from a location other than the dispatch center or flight following center of the air carrier for a period of time not to exceed 14 consecutive days per location without approval of the Administrator.