NCO.GEN.102(a) limits a cost-shared flight to six persons, and the pilot is one of them, so the most you can carry is five passengers. ANO 2016 art. 13(2)(a) sets the same limit for non-Part-21 aircraft, and your licence or the aircraft itself may set a lower one.
The text
NCO.GEN.102(a), in force since 1 October 2025:
(a) No more than six persons (including the pilot) are to be carried on the flight.
ANO 2016 art. 13(2)(a), for permit aircraft, microlights and other non-Part-21 aircraft:
(a) no more than six persons (including the pilot) are carried on the flight;
The only difference is grammatical: the ANO says "are carried" where NCO.GEN.102 says "are to be carried". The limit is the same. Before 1 October 2025 the ANO allowed only four persons; see what changed in October 2025.
What it means in practice
The rule counts persons carried, not passengers and not paying passengers. Everyone on board counts: you, any second pilot, a friend flying for free and a passenger whose declaration you don't need because they hold a licence.
The number you can actually fly is the lowest of these limits:
| Limit | Maximum persons on board | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-sharing rule | 6, including the pilot | NCO.GEN.102(a); ANO art. 13(2)(a) |
| LAPL(A) | 4 | FCL.105.A(a) |
| NPPL(A) | 4 | ANO Schedule 8, Part 1, Chapter 3 |
| Microlight aeroplane | 2 | ANO Schedule 1, para 4 |
| The aircraft | Approved seats, mass and balance on the day | Aircraft flight manual |
FCL.105.A(a) allows a LAPL(A) holder to carry "a maximum of 3 passengers, such that there are always a maximum of 4 persons on board". A microlight is defined as an aircraft "designed to carry not more than two persons", so a cost-shared microlight flight is you and one passenger. The six-person limit guide and cost sharing by licence cover these in full.
The same headcount drives the money. Under NCO.GEN.102(c), each passenger's contribution is capped at the total direct costs "divided equally by the number of persons carried (including the pilot)".
Worked example. A trip in a four-seater has £240 of direct costs. With you and three passengers, each passenger can pay at most £60 and you pay at least £60. If one passenger drops out, three persons are carried and the cap rises to £80 each. Run your own figures in the cost-sharing calculator, and see point (c) for the detail.
CAP 1590 (guidance), para 11, restates the rule as "No more than six persons (including the pilot) are permitted on a cost sharing flight." The CAA's cost sharing web page puts it as not carrying "more than five passengers in addition to the pilot".
Grey areas
- Infants and young children. The rules don't treat babies or small children differently. The cautious approach is to count every person on board, whatever their age.
- Multi-leg trips. The sources don't say how to count when passengers join or leave at an intermediate stop. The cautious approach is never to have more than six on board at any time, and to work out each leg's shares using the persons carried on that leg.
How to comply
- Count everyone on board, including yourself, before you offer seats.
- Check your licence limit: four for LAPL(A) and NPPL(A), two in a microlight.
- Check the aircraft's approved seats, and run mass and balance with real passenger weights.
- If the headcount changes, recalculate each share using the number actually carried.
- Make sure every passenger who needs one has signed a declaration before the flight; see passenger declarations and records.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a passenger who flies for free count towards the six?
- Yes. The rule counts persons carried on the flight, not paying passengers, so everyone on board counts, including the pilot and anyone you are not charging.
- Is the limit different for permit aircraft?
- Not any more. ANO 2016 art. 13(2)(a) has allowed six persons including the pilot since 1 October 2025, the same as NCO.GEN.102(a). Before that the ANO limit was four.
- Can a LAPL(A) holder carry five passengers on a cost-shared flight?
- No. FCL.105.A(a) limits a LAPL(A) holder to a maximum of 3 passengers, so there are never more than 4 persons on board, whatever the cost-sharing rule allows.
- Does a second pilot on board count?
- Yes. NCO.GEN.102(a) counts every person carried. A second pilot is a person on board and also counts when you divide the direct costs under point (c).
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
Cost sharing on a PPL, LAPL or NPPL
How UK cost-sharing rules apply to PPL, LAPL(A) and NPPL(A) holders: passenger limits, aircraft mass, microlights, recency and why there's no minimum hours.
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.
Article 6(4a): the cost-shared flights derogation
Article 6(4a)(a) of Reg 965/2012 lets private pilots fly cost-shared flights in other-than-complex aeroplanes and helicopters. The text and what it means.
NCO.GEN.102(b): other costs are paid by the pilot
NCO.GEN.102(b) says every cost other than direct costs is paid by the pilot with no passenger contribution. What that covers, with the ANO art. 13 wording.