CAP 1590 is titled "Cost sharing flights: guidance and information". It was first published in 2018; the second edition, published in 2025, is listed by the CAA as "Status Current", "Version 2", "Version date 28-Jul-2025". Para 1 says it is "intended to provide information and guidance for pilots and passengers wishing to undertake a cost sharing flight" and that it was updated to clarify the changes in force from 1 October 2025.
It covers the scope of the rules, the six-person limit, recent experience, the Passenger Declaration Form, advertising, direct costs, annual costs, joint owners and an "Explanation of terms" (paras 31 to 40), which includes the CAA's explanations of market rate and valuable consideration.
The CAA lists two companion documents alongside it: CAP 1590A, the "Charter to promote the safety of Cost Sharing flights", and CAP 1590B, the "Passenger and Pilot Information and Declaration Form".
CAP 1590 is guidance. The law is in NCO.GEN.102 and ANO 2016 art. 13. Where they differ, the legislation wins, though the guidance shows how the CAA reads it. For example, CAP 1590 para 24 lists the advert contents in a slightly different order and wording from NCO.GEN.102(i). Our CAP 1590 explainer goes through it section by section.
Source: CAA, CAP 1590 Cost sharing flights: guidance and information, Second edition 2025
Read more in our guides
- CAP 1590 and the cost sharing rules explained What CAP 1590 is, where the UK cost sharing rules come from, and what each NCO.GEN.102 condition means for a private pilot flying with passengers.
- What passengers must sign, and how long to keep records Every cost-sharing passenger needs a signed safety declaration before the flight, kept for 6 months. What it must contain, who is exempt and what to keep.
- What changed on 1 October 2025 for cost sharing A before and after table of the UK cost sharing rule changes from 1 October 2025, and what they mean in practice for private pilots flying passengers.
Related terms
Back to the glossary. Definitions summarise the legislation and CAA guidance and are not legal advice.