What the cost sharing rules require
A summary of the CAA's rules for private flights where passengers share the cost. The full text is in CAP 1590.
The rules at a glance
Passengers are told the flight does not meet commercial air transport safety standards.
Only fuel, oil, airfield charges and aircraft hire at the market rate can be shared. Annual costs such as insurance and maintenance cannot.
No passenger pays more than an equal share, so the pilot always pays at least theirs and can choose to pay more.
A private individual operates the flight, the pilot is not employed or contracted to fly it, and nobody makes a profit.
The full rules are in CAP 1590.
What changed and when
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2021 to 2022: consultation
The CAA consulted the aviation community on proposed changes to the cost sharing rules.
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Early 2025: rules published
The updated Air Navigation Order was published with its guidance documents: CAP 1590, CAP 1590A and NCO.GEN.102.
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1 October 2025: rules came into force
Every cost sharing flight has had to follow the rules since this date.
Advertising disclosures
Any advert must say the flight is not held to commercial safety standards, and give the route, date, your licence, medical and hours. Our advert generator writes it for you.
Cost sharing charter
If you find passengers through a website or app, the CAA recommends one that has signed the UK Cost Sharing Charter.
Background
What's the story with UK cost sharing?
For years, UK cost sharing ran on three principles:
- nobody makes a profit;
- only direct costs are shared; and
- the pilot pays something towards them.
They were easy to follow to the letter and easy to bend in spirit. Some pilots thought cost sharing was illegal; others ran what amounted to a charter firm.
Since October 2025, a new regulation has been in force. It sets the least the pilot must pay, the declarations passengers must sign, the records you must keep and what an advert must say.
"One of the problems encountered when dealing with cost sharing flights is where pilots and passengers of Illegal Commercial Air Transport collude to present illegal flights as legal cost shared flights."
Further reading
- CAP 1590, the CAA's guidance on cost sharing flights
- The new regulation in force since October 2025
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