Commercial Fixed Wing
Dispatch Dispatcher; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Prior to block-out of Aircraft X; ZZZ airport Tower and Approach Control closed due to a COVID cleaning. Dispatch informed the flight crew to remain in the gate and not block until a new flight release could be sent with an alternate. Additionally; a non-tower operation worksheet was needed which includes approval from the manager and flight operations duty officer. Once the crew signed the new release and had a copy of the approved non-tower ops worksheet; the aircraft blocked out and operated to ZZZ.  Later that night; the captain called the Flight Operations Duty Officer around XA:15pm to inform the Duty Officer that when he landed the aircraft in ZZZ; the airport lighting was not operational. However; the flight crew was able to safely land the aircraft in ZZZ because the moonlight was bright. There were no NOTAMs indicating the airport lighting was INOP. Additionally; Dispatch was never notified by the crew that the lighting was INOP. Dispatch was only notified by the Duty Officer four hours after the aircraft blocked in at ZZZ. I called the airport Tower after it reopened; and the controller stated he wasn't aware of any lighting issues and the lighting was operating normal.Even though this was a short flight; communication from the flight crew to dispatch was poor. They're several things Dispatch could have helped with prior to the outcome; including calling airport operations to inquire about the lighting issues and suggesting diverting to the alternate airport.
Just before we were ready to pushback ground ops messaged us to let us know that ZZZ was going to non-towered ops for COVID cleaning. After we reviewed the FOM to ensure that we collected all the required documents and procedures.  We had all the required items per the FOM. With that we departed 1hour and 8 minutes late. We knew that Tower and Approach would be closed upon arrival. We were being vectored in by ZZZ Center. We requested to come in between ZZZZZ and ZZZZZ1. We requested the visual into Runway XX at ZZZ the weather was VMC.   On the base leg I has a visual on the PAPI and the captain intercepted final around 8 miles out and was flying the glideslope towards the runway. We were cleared the visual and switched to CTAF frequency.  We made multiple calls on final reporting our position. We also tried to activate the lights on the field 3 times with no success (there was nothing on the approach plate indicating it would be pilot controlled. But we hoped that it being listed as the CTAF would give us control). Around ZZZZZ the runway was clearly coming into view. By 1;000 feet we could clearly see the runway and all the markings. The Captain then proceeded to land and we taxied into parking. The landing occurred at XA15z which was in the twilight hours. At no point did we feel that we were in danger or unsafe. We mistakenly used the takeoff lighting requirements. After landing we looked everything up in the FOM to double check ourselves. We do feel it would have been dangerous to go around in a CFIT moderate environment with minimal coverage from Center. This was my second flight in ZZZ with the Captain this week. We were comfortable with the approach leading into Runway XX.The event was caused by ZZZ Tower not leaving the lights on when they closed and us as a crew using the takeoff lighting requirements vs landing requirements for CATI table.We could have delayed longer out of ZZZ1 to arrive when ZZZ was definitely going to be open. We could also call the Tower before departure to ensure that they leave the lights on. We could also plan to shoot the ILS all the way from the initial approach fix.
Dispatcher and flight crew reported a night landing without runway lighting.