By Dickson Omobola

Flight Dispatchers Association of Nigeria, FLIDAN, has lamented the slow implementation of International Civil Aviation Authority, ICAO, Document 10106 in Nigeria, saying many airlines are yet to comply with the Operations Control Centre, OCC, organisational and procedural changes required by the document.

ICAO Doc 10106 introduces modern, globally aligned standards for the structure and responsibilities of OCCs, shared authority between the pilot-in-command and the flight dispatcher, risk-based operational decision-making, fatigue management for dispatchers and competency-based training and assessment, among other provisions.

Secretary of the Board of Trustees of FLIDAN, Senior Flight Dispatcher David Olatunji, said Nigeria still faces challenges such as insufficient dispatcher authority, a lack of documented shared decision-making processes and inadequate competency-based training due to poor compliance with the document.

He spoke at the FLIDAN Annual Conference themed: ‘Safety and Efficiency: The Flight Dispatcher’s Role,’ held in Lagos.

Olatunji warned that airlines that fail to comply with the standards risk adverse findings during international audits, including the IATA Operational Safety Audit, IOSA, and the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, USOAP.

He said: “There is also limited use of data analytics for operational control. This gap must be closed urgently. Regulatory pressure is increasing globally, and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind.

“Non-compliance affects safety, especially in abnormal and emergency operations. Efficiency suffers when OCCs are not structured according to modern standards. Dispatcher professionalism is undermined when the OCC is not aligned with ICAO expectations.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, urged operators to involve dispatchers in safety reporting, enquiries, investigations and continuous safety improvement initiatives.

Director General of the NCAA, Capt Chris Najomo, represented by Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards, Captain Donald Spiff, who spoke during the event, said: “Their unique position enables them to identify operational hazards, contribute to risk assessment, and support informed decision-making before and during operations.

“We, therefore, encourage operators to actively involve dispatchers in safety reporting, enquiries, investigations, and continuous safety improvement initiatives. The future of aviation will be driven by digital transformation, data analytics, artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated operational technologies.”