Yes and no. A UK private pilot can't charge passengers for a flight or make any profit from it, but passengers can contribute towards the flight's direct costs, up to an equal share of those costs split between everyone on board, pilot included.
That's the cost-sharing exception. It lets a PPL, LAPL or NPPL holder take friends, family or people they've met online flying and split the bill, without the flight becoming commercial air transport. Since 1 October 2025 the conditions are set out in NCO.GEN.102 (for Part-21 aeroplanes and helicopters) and article 13 of the Air Navigation Order 2016 (for permit aircraft and microlights). The two texts are almost word for word the same. The differences: the ANO lets an advert be placed by "the pilot or operator" (NCO.GEN.102(i)(1) says "the pilot intending to operate the flight"), and the ANO safety statement refers to CAT or PT standards where NCO.GEN.102 refers to CAT only.
The short answer
- No profit. "There can be no element of profit for the pilot" (CAP 1590, paras 3 and 28).
- Direct costs only. Passengers can contribute only towards fuel, oil, airfield charges and aircraft rental at the current market rate. See what counts as a direct cost for the detail.
- Passengers' cap. Each passenger's contribution must be "an amount not more than the total direct costs divided equally by the number of persons carried (including the pilot)" (NCO.GEN.102(c)).
- Pilot's minimum. CAP 1590, para 27: "The contribution towards the direct costs of the flight by the pilot must not be less than the total direct cost divided equally by the number of people on board. Pilots may however choose to pay more than the proportional costs."
- Everything else is yours. "All costs other than direct costs must be paid by the pilot with no contribution from the passengers" (NCO.GEN.102(b)).
In other words, you always pay at least your equal share. You can pay more if you like, and your passengers can pay less.
A worked example
Say you hire a PA-28 Warrior to fly yourself and three friends to the coast for lunch and back. The figures below are illustrative; check your own club's rates, or see typical figures on our aircraft pages.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Aircraft hire, 2 hours at £250/hr wet (fuel included) | £500 |
| Landing fee at destination | £20 |
| Total direct costs | £520 |
Four people are on board, so the equal share is £520 ÷ 4 = £130.
- Each passenger can pay up to £130.
- You must pay at least £130.
If one friend is short of cash and pays £80, you can make up the difference yourself and pay £180. What you can't do is ask the other two to pay more than £130 to cover the gap. CAP 2391 said the pilot "is not allowed to request or accept more than such equal contribution", and the rules don't clearly allow one passenger to pay over the equal share even when another pays under. The cautious approach is to cap every passenger at the equal share.
You also can't add, say, £15 each "towards the insurance". That would be a contribution to an annual cost, which passengers can't make.
Our cost-sharing calculator works out the maximum per-passenger figure for you, and who pays what covers more scenarios.
What about the CAA's own example?
The CAA put it plainly when the rules were developed: "if there are three passengers, the pilot's share must not be less than 25%." That's the same arithmetic as above.
Passengers paying less
The CAA's stated position in CAP 2391 is: "Pilots can pay more than the proportional costs and passengers are able to pay less than the equal share of the direct cost". The 2025 guidance material repeats that pilots may pay more, so a passenger paying less is consistent with the rules. And if nobody pays anything, that's fine too: ANO article 13 covers flights where "there has been no valuable consideration".
What turns it into illegal public transport
If a flight carries passengers for "remuneration or other valuable consideration" outside the cost-sharing conditions, it's commercial air transport (or public transport under the ANO). That needs an Air Operator Certificate, a pilot with at least a commercial licence, and an aircraft certificated and maintained to the relevant standards (CAP 1590, paras 4 and 5).
"Valuable consideration" is wider than cash. CAP 1590 (para 40) defines it as "any right, interest, profit or benefit … which is of more than a nominal nature".
The common ways a private flight tips over the line:
- Profit of any kind. Charging more than the direct costs, or rounding up "to make it worth your while".
- Paying less than your share. The CAA has said a pilot who doesn't contribute proportionally makes the flight "an illegally operated flight" (CAP 2391).
- Recovering annual costs. Passing on insurance, maintenance, hangarage or membership.
- Inflated hire. Sharing a rental rate above the current market rate for that type and area.
- Too many people. More than six on board, including the pilot. Some licences and aircraft have lower limits; see the six-person limit.
- A company or paid pilot. The flight must be operated by a private individual, and no pilot may be "employed as a pilot or acting under a contract for the provision of services as a pilot for the flight" (NCO.GEN.102(d) and (e)).
- Benefits in kind. A free hotel room, a paid-for lunch or a favour in return could count as valuable consideration if it's more than nominal.
The consequences are serious. Flying for public transport without an AOC is listed as an offence under the ANO. On indictment the penalty can be "a fine or … imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both" (ANO art. 265(7)), and both the operator and the pilot in command are deemed to have contravened the rule (art. 265(1)). For more on where the boundary sits, read cost sharing vs charter.
The other conditions
Charging correctly is only part of it. Under NCO.GEN.102 you also need to:
- tell each passenger clearly that the flight does not meet the same safety standards as a commercial air transport flight (ANO article 13 adds "or Public Transport")
- get a signed declaration from each passenger before the flight, and keep it for six months from the date of the flight (CAA guidance, AMC1 NCO.GEN.102(g), says this isn't needed for passengers who hold or have held a pilot's licence)
- follow the content rules if you advertise the flight
Split My Flight handles the declaration side: it sends each passenger the required information, collects their signature online before you fly, and keeps the record for you. See what passengers must sign for the detail.
Insurance
CAP 1590 (para 14) says the pilot must make sure the flight is insured for cost sharing with passengers. Don't assume your club or group policy covers it; check the wording or ask the insurer. Passengers should check their own life, accident and health cover too.
There's also a practical reason to keep the money straight. The CAA's declaration template warns that profit-making may end up "potentially rendering any insurance invalid". A flight that breaches the cost-sharing rules could leave you uninsured exactly when you need it.
For the full picture of the rules, see the regulations overview or the CAA's cost sharing page.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I fly my friends for free?
- Yes. A flight where nobody gives you anything of value is not a commercial flight, and the Air Navigation Order expressly covers flights where there has been no valuable consideration. You are still responsible for the flight being insured and legal in every other way.
- Can I charge passengers a bit extra to cover my membership or insurance?
- No. Insurance, maintenance, hangarage and club membership are annual costs that the pilot must pay alone. Only fuel, oil, airfield charges and aircraft rental at market rate can be shared.
- What happens if a flight breaks the cost-sharing rules?
- It can no longer rely on the cost-sharing exception. A passenger flight paid for outside those conditions is commercial air transport or public transport, which needs an Air Operator Certificate. Flying for public transport without one is an offence under the Air Navigation Order.
- Do I need a commercial licence to share costs?
- No. A private licence is enough for a cost-sharing flight that meets the conditions. A commercial licence and an AOC are only needed if the flight is commercial air transport or public transport.
This guide summarises the CAA's published guidance and is not legal advice. Always check the latest version of CAP 1590 before you fly. Compliance remains the responsibility of the pilot in command.
Related guides
What counts as a direct cost on a cost-sharing flight?
The four costs UK passengers can share (fuel, oil, airfield charges, market-rate rental), what's excluded, and the grey areas pilots should treat cautiously.
Who pays what? Worked cost-sharing examples
Worked examples of how the direct costs of a UK cost-shared flight split between the pilot and passengers, including odd totals and the pilot paying more.
Cost sharing vs charter: when you need an AOC
How a cost sharing flight differs from commercial air transport, when an AOC and a CPL are needed, what valuable consideration means, and the penalties.
Six-person limit: lower caps for LAPL, NPPL and microlights
A cost-sharing flight can carry no more than six people including the pilot. LAPL(A) and NPPL(A) are limited to four, microlights to two. Here is how it works.