Cost sharing flights, the UK rules.
Private pilots in the UK can share the cost of a flight with their passengers. The rules changed on 1 October 2025; this is what they ask of you, in plain English.
What the rules require
- Direct costs only
- Only fuel, oil, airfield charges and aircraft hire at the market rate can be shared. Annual costs such as insurance, maintenance and club membership stay with the pilot.
- Equal shares at most
- No passenger pays more than an equal share of the direct costs, so the pilot always pays at least their own share and can choose to pay more.
- Six people at most
- No more than six on board, the pilot included, or four on a LAPL(A) or NPPL(A).
- Private pilots only
- A private individual operates the flight, the pilot is not employed or contracted to fly it, and nobody makes a profit.
- Passenger declarations
- Every passenger signs a declaration before the flight, and the declarations are kept for six months from the date of the flight.
- Safety information
- Passengers are told the flight does not meet commercial air transport safety standards.
- Advertising
- An advert for a cost sharing flight must say it is not held to commercial safety standards, and give the route, the date, and the pilot's licence, medical and hours.
The full rules are in the CAA's CAP 1590. The pilot in command stays responsible for every cost sharing flight.
A worked example
| Aircraft hire, 1.5 hours wet | £270 |
| Landing fee at the destination | £30 |
| Direct costs | £300 |
| Four on board, the pilot included | ÷ 4 |
| Most each passenger can pay | £75 |
The pilot pays at least an equal share, so here at least £75, and can pay more so the passengers pay less. The club's annual subscription and the pilot's own insurance are not direct costs, so they are not part of the sum.
Split My Flight's free calculator does the sum for any aircraft, rate and number of people.
Open the cost sharing calculatorAlso from the Volanti team
Split My Flight does the paperwork, free.
Split My Flight is free for UK private pilots. It sends passengers the information the CAA requires, collects their signed declarations online and keeps the records for six months.
- Passenger declarations signed online
- Records kept for six months
- Safety information sent to every passenger
- Free for UK private pilots
Straight answers
What is a cost sharing flight?
A private flight where the pilot and passengers share the direct costs of the flight equally. It lets private pilots fly with passengers without a commercial licence, as long as nobody makes a profit and the rules on declarations, records and group size are followed.
When did the new UK cost sharing rules start?
They came into force on 1 October 2025. The CAA's guidance on them is CAP 1590.
Which costs can be shared?
Fuel, oil, airfield charges such as landing and parking fees, and the hire of the aircraft at the current market rate. Costs that would arise whether or not the flight happened, such as insurance, maintenance and memberships, cannot be shared.
How much can each passenger pay?
No more than the direct costs divided equally between everyone on board, the pilot included. On a 300 pound flight with four on board, each passenger pays at most 75 pounds, and the pilot pays at least 75 pounds.
Can a flying club member cost share in a club aircraft?
Yes, if the club allows it: the hire charged by the club is a direct cost, at the club's normal rate. Check the club's own rules, which can be stricter than the law.
Is there a free tool for the paperwork?
Yes. Split My Flight, also built by the Volanti team, is free for UK pilots. It sends passengers the information they need, collects their signed declarations online and keeps the records for six months.
Every flight charged at your rates.
Volanti prices every flight at your rates and charges it to the member's account when it lands.