Dispatch Dispatcher
Confusion; Distraction; Time Pressure
ATC Issue All Types
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Airspace Structure
Aircraft X was planned and filed on route X in our database. Approximately 10 minutes before the crew was ready to depart they called for lower fuel release due to fuel onboard. I ran the data and was going to update the release with the internal release and it bounced back at me saying invalid route; route blocked. The only way to make it work was to ignore the check blocks. I called Center and had them remove the filing. I had the flight crew call me and then proceeded to refile a new route with ATC and advised the crew of the new fuel burn numbers and the corrected route.This situation happens because blocking data for warning areas goes active after we have filed with ATC. There are no alerts that come back to the dispatcher to advise we are filed on a route that now has an active block. The only way we become aware of the situation is to run a new informational flight plan and get a rejection. The dispatch flight planning program should capture a route that has been filed and the time it is expected to be flown. This includes any delays or changes to the departure time that now affects and active flight. The flight planning system should generate and alert to the dispatcher handling the flight. Whether preflight or enroute the dispatcher could than contact the flight to advise of the situation. If the flight is enroute the dispatcher could then coordinate with the ATC coordinator to get and answer on how ATC wants to reroute the flight around the active area and in turn relay this information to the flight crew. Everyone would then be aware of the problem so that if there was radio failure the dispatcher; ATC; and the flight crew would all be working on the same conclusion rather than a flight possibly proceeding thru a warning area that has gone hot.
A Dispatcher reported that their flight planning program can have routes filed blocked as warning areas become active. There is no indication to dispatchers of warning areas going active in regards to conflicts with flights that have already been filed through that airspace before the activation.