NCO.GEN.102(i): what a cost-sharing advert must say

If you advertise or promote a cost-shared flight, NCO.GEN.102(i) requires you to place the advert yourself and to include a statement that it is a private arrangement not conducted to CAT safety standards, plus six facts: start and end points, date, licence, medical, total hours and recent hours on type. ANO 2016 art. 13(3) sets the same content for non-Part-21 aircraft, but lets the pilot or the operator place it.

The text

NCO.GEN.102(i):

(i) Where advertisement or promotion of the flight occurs, the advertisement or promotion:

(1) must be placed by the pilot intending to operate the flight; and

(2) must include:

(i) a statement that the flight is a private arrangement not conducted in accordance with CAT safety standards;

(ii) the start and end locations of the flight;

(iii) the date when the pilot is available to conduct the flight;

(iv) the licence type held by the pilot;

(v) the class of medical certificate or medical declaration held by the pilot;

(vi) the total number of hours flown by the pilot; and

(vii) the total number of hours flown by the pilot in the advertised aircraft type in the three months prior to the advertisement being placed.

ANO 2016 art. 13(2)(i) requires that any advertisement or promotion "satisfies the criteria in paragraph (3)". Art. 13(3)(a) and (b) read:

(a) is placed by the pilot or operator of the flight;

(b) makes it clear that the flight is a private arrangement not conducted in accordance with CAT or PT safety standards; and

Art. 13(3)(c) then lists the same six facts as NCO.GEN.102(i)(2)(ii) to (vii). The differences are "pilot or operator" and "CAT or PT".

What it means in practice

The rule applies "where advertisement or promotion of the flight occurs". If you only fly people you already know and never promote the flight, point (i) doesn't come into play. Once you do, every item is required.

Worked example. A compliant post might read:

Cost-sharing flight. This is a private arrangement not conducted in accordance with CAT safety standards. Aircraft: PA-28. From: Sywell. To: Sandown, Isle of Wight. Return: Sywell, same day. Date I'm available: Saturday 14 November 2026. Licence: PPL(A). Medical: Class 2. Total hours: 640. Hours on PA-28 in the last three months: 14.

CAP 1590 (guidance), para 23, adds that cost-sharing flights "should not be advertised as an offering of a flight to any destination and time at the determination of a passenger." Advertise your trip, not a taxi service.

CAP 1590, para 25, says promotion "can include the use of online ‘flight sharing’ platforms" and recommends only websites that have signed the UK Charter. That is a recommendation; the legal requirements are the ones in point (i), whichever site you use.

Before 1 October 2025, the ANO prohibited advertising for permit aircraft except within a flying club. That has gone; see what changed in October 2025.

Grey areas

• What counts as promotion. The term isn't defined, and there is no separate rule for social media or club group chats. The cautious approach is to include every item whenever you invite people to share a flight in a public post or group message.
• The statement's wording. The CAA web page and CAP 1590 para 24 paraphrase the statement in slightly different words. Use the legislative wording.
• Flexible dates. Point (i)(2)(iii) refers to "the date". The sources don't say whether a range is acceptable. The cautious approach is to give a specific date and post again if it changes.
• Reposting. Hours on type are counted from "the advertisement being placed". If you repost later, update the figure.

How to comply

• Post the advert yourself.
• Use the legislative safety statement word for word.
• Include all six facts, with hours current at the time of posting.
• Advertise your own route and date.
• After someone responds, give them the safety information and collect their declaration before the flight; see points (g) and (h). The advertising guide covers platforms and examples in more depth.