The Secretary of Flight Dispatchers Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN), David Olatunji, has expressed concern over the slow implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Document 10106 by the Nigerian airlines.

He warned that continued non-compliance could expose both operators and the country to adverse findings from international safety audits.

Speaking yesterday at FLIDAN’s annual conference held in Lagos, Olatunji alleged that many Nigerian airlines and their operations control centres (OCCs) were yet to fully align with the modern operational standards prescribed by ICAO.

According to him, although ICAO Document 10106, the manual on flight operations and operational control, was not a new regulation, its implementation across many regions, including Nigeria, had been slow and incomplete.

Olatunji identified several shortcomings among domestic airlines, including outdated OCC structures, insufficient authority granted to flight dispatchers, a lack of documented shared decision-making processes between pilots and dispatchers, inadequate competency-based training, and weak integration of dispatch functions into airlines’ Safety Management Systems (SMS), among others.

He declared that the existing gaps must be addressed urgently if Nigeria was to remain compliant with evolving global aviation safety requirements.

According to him, regulatory pressure on airlines was increasing globally, noting that operators that failed to comply with ICAO standards risked negative findings during the International Air Transport Association’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

He also said that Nigeria could attract observations during ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).

He warned that non-compliance could weaken operational safety, particularly during abnormal conditions or emergencies, reduce operational efficiency, and undermine the professionalism of flight dispatchers, whose roles are increasingly recognised as “safety-critical”.

He explained that ICAO Document 10106 introduces globally harmonised standards covering the structure and responsibilities of airline OCC, shared operational authority between pilots and flight dispatchers, risk-based operational decision-making, fatigue management and competency-based training and others.

He said: “Many Nigerian airlines and OCCs have not yet fully complied with the organisational and procedural changes required by Doc 10106.”

This includes outdated OCC structures, insufficient dispatcher authority, lack of documented shared decision-making processes, inadequate training aligned with competency-based standards, weak integration of dispatch functions into the airline’s Safety Management System and limited use of data analytics for operational control.”

On the importance of flight dispatchers, Olatunji said they contribute significantly to aviation safety through accurate flight planning, weather and Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) analysis, continuous monitoring of en route conditions, and regulatory compliance, among other responsibilities.

Also, in his presentation at the event, President, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Dr Alex Nwuba, said that there are no fewer than 1,500 flight dispatchers in Nigeria.

Represented at the occasion by the General Secretary, Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Olumide Ohunayo, he said that out of the 1,500, only 500 of them were engaged by various airlines in the country.

According to Ohunayo, the average monthly payment of flight dispatchers in the country was about N200,000 ($130), adding that they work for an average of 10 hours daily.

He said many of the dispatchers are confronted with fatigue, poor remuneration, lack of type ratings, and mandatory logbooks.