Dave Porter

The writer above is mostly correct. There are a few States/operators (Saudi Arabia, for one..at least a couple of years ago) that required an FAA Dispatcher license. I recall about 10 years ago, there was a huge controversy because the FAA revoked a number of Aircraft Dispatcher Airman’s Certificates acquired through a major aeronautical college in Florida. The college apparently reduced the number of hours required under it’s ab initio course and when FAA learned this, they revoked the licenses. 
I was the President of IFALDA at the time and I got an urgent phone call from a colleague in London about this since apparently, Saudia Arabian Airlines required the FAA license and several of their London-based dispatchers had their FAA licenses revoked. I understand that this dilema was later resolved.
The real issue outside of the U.S. isn’t whether the FAA license is required by law or state regulation but rather, it is desirable for competitive reasons. Hiring someone to plan and monitor flights with an FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Airman’s Certificate gives applicants a major competitive advantage.

Regarding the note from Eric Morris above, I’ve know Eric for years and in my strictly personal opinion, his school is the Gold Standard for thorough, professional Dispatch schools. Their courses are not easy to get through and pass but if you do, you’ll have a solid basic knowledge of aircraft dispatching, whether you ever exercise the privileges of your FAA certificate or not. A classic example is the U.S. Air Force Tanker/Airlift Command Center. Eric’s school provided FAA-level certification training for U.S. Air Force Flight Managers even though they will never actually exercise the privileges of their license while working for the Air Force since it is not an FAR Part 121 operation.

….. I should note that I have no attachment to Eric’s school, either professional or financial. Everything above is strictly my personal opinion, for whatever its worth.
Cheers,
Dave Porter

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