Commercial Fixed Wing
Dispatch Dispatcher
Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure; Human Factors
The callsign conflict was missed -- in my opinion -- as the result of two circumstances.  First; I am still working on developing a workflow.  Although I do have significant Dispatch experience; my coming up to speed in systems familiarization still has me with a handicap in reviewing potential conflict. Second; the workload for company employees as the result of significant cancellations; schedule adjustments; and non-scheduled flying as the direct result of the COVID-19 circumstances is requiring increased schedule activity.  The resulting delays; reposition flights; extreme biohazard precautions within the offices and other company property...are all responsible for degrading the inherent stability otherwise found in well-established systems and in the best practice of dispatching.  Communication -- while still required -- must be remote and minimized.Corrective action:  It is my opinion the only course of action which would have prevented this occurrence is tighter communication.  I do believe that if the ATC coordinators; Dispatch coordinators; and dispatchers were free to openly and routinely communicate as enjoyed in the past (absent COVID-19); and the situation were moot; we likely would not have had a callsign conflict.  When balanced against the risk of closer socialization and systems still in place with ATC as risk mitigation; I do not believe that corrective action is warranted at this time and the systems in place today consistent with best practices and in the good interest of public health; worked as best as they could have.We were dispatching Flight ABC and received an ACARS from that aircraft notifying us that ATC had given them a new callsign -- Aircraft X 'ABCE' -- as the result of a callsign conflict.  An identically numbered flight; ABC; no additional E; which was being operated by different Dispatcher was late inbound  due to equipment delays.  The callsign conflict was not apparent to us -- the dispatchers for this flight; nor was it recognized by the second flight's Dispatcher; ATC coordinators; or Dispatch coordinators.  We acknowledged the new callsign; continued the flight as planned.
Dispatcher reported a similar callsign issue and cancellations attributed in part to COVID-19 pandemic related work environment.