Restrictions

Overview

Restrictions control booking and dispatch operations by applying rules to specific entities within the airline. They allow administrators to enforce pilot qualifications, limit access to certain aircraft or routes, and modify dispatch parameters for safety or operational reasons.

There are two categories of restrictions:

• Booking restrictions prevent pilots from booking flights when requirements are not met.
• Dispatch restrictions modify SimBrief dispatch parameters (such as fuel factors or weight penalties) when generating a flight plan.

Restrictions are polymorphic -- a single restriction can be attached to any of the following target entities:

Target Entity	Effect
Aircraft Fleet	Applies to all aircraft within the fleet
Aircraft SubFleet	Applies to all aircraft within the subfleet
Aircraft	Applies to a single aircraft registration
Airport	Applies to flights departing from or arriving at the airport
Schedule	Applies to a specific scheduled route

Backoffice path: backoffice/restrictions

Available to roles: System Administrator, Administrator (full access); Operations Staff (view only)

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Restriction Types

Booking Restrictions

Booking restrictions are evaluated when a pilot attempts to book a flight. If the pilot does not satisfy all rules attached to the restriction, the booking is blocked and the pilot is informed of the unmet requirement.

Use booking restrictions to:

• Require a type rating or special license before flying certain aircraft.
• Enforce minimum rank requirements for long-haul or high-complexity routes.
• Temporarily block bookings for an aircraft undergoing maintenance.

Dispatch Restrictions

Dispatch restrictions are evaluated when a SimBrief flight plan is generated. Rather than blocking the operation, they modify dispatch parameters to account for operational considerations such as reduced aircraft performance or regulatory requirements.

Dispatch parameter values stack additively across all active dispatch restrictions that apply to a given flight. For example, if two active restrictions each add a fuel factor of 1.05, the combined fuel factor applied to the dispatch will be 1.10.

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Restriction Fields

Each restriction record contains the following fields:

Field	Description
Name	A descriptive name for the restriction (e.g., "ETOPS Certification Required")
Description	Optional detailed explanation of why the restriction exists
Type	Either Booking or Dispatch
Target Entity	The entity the restriction is attached to (fleet, subfleet, aircraft, airport, or schedule)
Active	Toggle to enable or disable the restriction without deleting it
Starts At	Optional start date/time for the restriction. If left empty, the restriction is active from the beginning of time
Ends At	Optional end date/time for the restriction. If left empty, the restriction remains active indefinitely

When both Starts At and Ends At are left empty (null), the restriction has an unbounded time window and is active whenever the Active toggle is on.

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Rules

Each restriction contains one or more ordered rules that define the specific requirements or parameter adjustments. Rules are evaluated in order, and all rules must be satisfied for a booking restriction to pass.

Rule Types

REQUIRE_LICENSE

Requires the pilot to hold a specific active license. If the pilot does not have the license, or the license has expired, the restriction blocks the booking.

• Use case: Require an ETOPS certification before booking transatlantic routes, or require a type rating for a specific aircraft family.

REQUIRE_RANK

Requires the pilot to have achieved a minimum rank level. Pilots below the specified rank are blocked from booking.

• Use case: Reserve wide-body aircraft or flagship routes for senior pilots.

DISPATCH_PARAM

Overrides or adjusts a SimBrief dispatch parameter. This rule type is only applicable to dispatch restrictions. Each dispatch parameter rule specifies a parameter key and a value.

The following dispatch parameters can be modified:

Parameter	Description
ceiling	Maximum cruise altitude override
fuel_factor	Fuel consumption multiplier (e.g., 1.05 for 5% extra fuel)
etops_rule	ETOPS rule to apply for the dispatch
max_fuel	Maximum fuel load limit
mtow_penalty	Maximum Takeoff Weight reduction (in pounds or kilograms)
mlw_penalty	Maximum Landing Weight reduction (in pounds or kilograms)
mel_fuel	Minimum Equipment List additional fuel requirement

When multiple dispatch restrictions apply to the same flight, their parameter values are stacked additively. This means all active restrictions contribute their adjustments to the final dispatch calculation.

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System-Generated Restrictions

Some restrictions are generated automatically by the system based on external data sources:

• MEL (Minimum Equipment List) restrictions are created when an aircraft has inoperative equipment logged. These typically add dispatch parameter adjustments such as ceiling reductions or additional fuel requirements.
• NOTAM restrictions are created from active Notices to Airmen that affect airport operations or routing.

System-generated restrictions cannot be edited or deleted through the backoffice. They are managed entirely by the system and will be removed automatically when the underlying condition is resolved (e.g., when a MEL item is repaired or a NOTAM expires).

Only manually created restrictions can be modified or deleted by administrators.

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List View

The restrictions list page displays all restrictions with the following columns:

Column	Description
Name	The restriction name
Type	Badge showing Booking or Dispatch
Target	The entity the restriction is attached to
Source	Whether the restriction is Manual or System (MEL/NOTAM)
Rules	Count of rules attached to the restriction
Date Range	The starts_at/ends_at window, or "Unbounded" if no dates are set
Status	Active or inactive indicator

The list is searchable, sortable by any column, and paginated. Use the search bar to filter by restriction name or target entity name.

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Creating a Restriction

1. Navigate to backoffice/restrictions and click Create Restriction.
2. Fill in the Name, Description, and select the Type (Booking or Dispatch).
3. Select the Target Entity type and choose the specific entity from the dropdown.
4. Optionally set the Starts At and Ends At dates to define a time window.
5. Toggle Active to enable the restriction immediately, or leave it off to configure rules before activating.
6. Save the restriction, then add rules from the restriction detail page.

Adding Rules

From the restriction detail page, click Add Rule to append a new rule. Select the rule type and configure its parameters:

• For REQUIRE_LICENSE, select the license from the available licenses list.
• For REQUIRE_RANK, select the minimum rank level.
• For DISPATCH_PARAM, select the parameter key and enter the value.

Rules are ordered and can be reordered by dragging. All rules on a booking restriction must be satisfied for the booking to proceed.