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  4. Part 121
  5. § 121.631
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14 CFR · Part 121

14 CFR § 121.631

Original dispatch or flight release, redispatch or amendment of dispatch or flight release.

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Read in Subpart U
Part 121 Contents
  • Subpart A: General
  • Subpart E: Approval of Routes: Domestic and Flag Operations
  • Subpart F: Approval of Areas and Routes for Supplemental Operations
  • Subpart G: Manual Requirements
  • Subpart H: Aircraft Requirements
  • Subpart I: Airplane Performance Operating Limitations
  • Subpart J: Special Airworthiness Requirements
  • Subpart K: Instrument and Equipment Requirements
  • Subpart L: Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations
  • Subpart M: Airman and Crewmember Requirements
  • Subpart N: Training Program
  • Subpart O: Crewmember Qualifications
  • Subpart P: Aircraft Dispatcher Qualifications and Duty Time
  • Subpart Q: Flight Time Limitations and Rest Requirements: Domestic Operations
  • Subpart R: Flight Time Limitations: Flag Operations
  • Subpart S: Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations
  • Subpart T: Flight Operations
  • Subpart U: Dispatching and Flight Release Rules
  • Subpart V: Records and Reports
  • Subpart W: Crewmember Certificate: International
  • Subpart X: Emergency Medical Equipment and Training
  • Subpart Y: Advanced Qualification Program
  • Subpart Z: Hazardous Materials Training Program
  • Subpart AA: Continued Airworthiness and Safety Improvements
  • Subpart DD: Special Federal Aviation Regulations
  • Appendix A to Part 121: First Aid Kits and Emergency Medical Kits
  • Appendix B to Part 121: Airplane Flight Recorder Specification
  • Appendix C to Part 121: C-46 Nontransport Category Airplanes
  • Appendix D to Part 121: Criteria for Demonstration of Emergency Evacuation Procedures Under § 121.291
  • Appendix E to Part 121: Flight Training Requirements
  • Appendix F to Part 121: Proficiency Check Requirements
  • Appendix G to Part 121: Doppler Radar and Inertial Navigation System (INS): Request for Evaluation; Equipment and Equipment Installation; Training Program; Equipment Accuracy and Reliability; Evaluation Program
  • Appendix H to Part 121: Advanced Simulation
  • Appendix K to Part 121: Performance Requirements for Certain Turbopropeller Powered Airplanes
  • Appendix L to Part 121: Type Certification Regulations Made Previously Effective
  • Appendix M to Part 121: Airplane Flight Recorder Specifications
  • Appendix O to Part 121: Hazardous Materials Training Requirements For Certificate Holders
  • Appendix P to Part 121: Requirements for ETOPS and Polar Operations
(a)

A certificate holder may specify any regular, provisional, or refueling airport, authorized for the type of aircraft, as a destination for the purpose of original dispatch or release.

(b)

No person may allow a flight to continue to an airport to which it has been dispatched or released unless the weather conditions at an alternate airport that was specified in the dispatch or flight release are forecast to be at or above the alternate minimums specified in the operations specifications for that airport at the time the aircraft would arrive at the alternate airport. However, the dispatch or flight release may be amended en route to include any alternate airport that is within the fuel range of the aircraft as specified in §§ 121.639 through 121.647.

(c)

No person may allow a flight to continue beyond the ETOPS Entry Point unless—

(1)

Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, the weather conditions at each ETOPS Alternate Airport required by § 121.624 are forecast to be at or above the operating minima for that airport in the certificate holder's operations specifications when it might be used (from the earliest to the latest possible landing time); and

(2)

All ETOPS Alternate Airports within the authorized ETOPS maximum diversion time are reviewed and the flight crew advised of any changes in conditions that have occurred since dispatch.

(d)

If paragraph (c)(1) of this section cannot be met for a specific airport, the dispatch or flight release may be amended to add an ETOPS Alternate Airport within the maximum ETOPS diversion time that could be authorized for that flight with weather conditions at or above operating minima.

(e)

Before the ETOPS Entry Point, the pilot in command for a supplemental operator or a dispatcher for a flag operator must use company communications to update the flight plan if needed because of a re-evaluation of aircraft system capabilities.

(f)

No person may change an original destination or alternate airport that is specified in the original dispatch or flight release to another airport while the aircraft is en route unless the other airport is authorized for that type of aircraft and the appropriate requirements of §§ 121.593 through 121.661 and 121.173 are met at the time of redispatch or amendment of the flight release.

(g)

Each person who amends a dispatch or flight release en route shall record that amendment.

Referenced By

Interpretations of This Section (5)

  • Andree Baumgardt, 2024
  • Powell, 2013
  • Smith (AFS-200), 2013
  • Unterseher (World Airways), 2010
  • Anderson, 2006

Advisory Circulars (1)

  • AC 120-101

Documents that cite this section, found in their catalog metadata or text. Listed by date, not by significance.

Regulations Referenced

14 CFR 121.63914 CFR 121.64714 CFR 121.62414 CFR 121.59314 CFR 121.66114 CFR 121.173

Reflects the eCFR edition current as of September 29, 2026. Retrieved from ecfr.gov on October 16, 2026.

Primary Source

  • Official Source (14 CFR · Part 121)