Commercial Fixed Wing
Dispatch Dispatcher
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors; Procedure
Flight was to depart at XA:00z at XA:02Z I received alert message that a MEL was added; I immediately messaged ramp agent on teams to ensure they voided the positions.  I did not send the MEL to the crew as I thought I had. The crew did not [ask for it] either.  Later at approximately XA:45Z I recalled that I had not sent and uplinked to the crew.I was so concentrated on ensuring the ramp new asap as the flight was past departure time; I forgot to send the crew the MEL. I was also busy updating crews in flight with new weather.  My process is usually not to acknowledge a message until I have handled it.  I did not follow that in this case.  I acknowledge the message; sent the info to ZZZ ramp and forgot to send the MEL to crew as I was working other things. I will not be straying from this process again.
After the load was complete and the door was closed the ramp agent got our attention from the ground and said Maintenance was fixing the paperwork. We told them that they had already updated the release documentation previously. We reopened the main door to get a new release documentation. We understood that Maintenance had repaired a broken cargo floor lock. It turns out that there was a broken cargo lock that required an MEL. We were never told by the load crew that there was a problem; they probably avoided the cockpit due to the COVID virus. The new release documentation had an MEL added that we should have relayed to operations before takeoff. We realized we had missed the addition of the MEL when operations sent us an ACARS message at approximately 18;000 feet.  The confusion could have been cleared up with a brief conversation with either Maintenance or the ramp to be informed of the failed lock.Confusion due to not being informed by the load crew or Maintenance of a cargo lock failure. We were initially delayed for the release documentation being rewritten and thought that was the new delay. Clear; concise communication with load crew and Maintenance on aircraft status. Also carefully reading the new release documentation for additional MEL items.
Air carrier Captain and Dispatcher reported missing a document that was needed before departure.  Dispatch sent the document when aircraft was airborne.