Costs

Who pays what? Worked cost-sharing examples

Worked examples of how the direct costs of a UK cost-shared flight split between the pilot and passengers, including odd totals and the pilot paying more.

Updated · 2 min read

Worked examples showing how the direct costs of three cost-sharing flights split between the pilot and passengers.

Four friends, one hour in a PA-28

Aircraft hire (1 hr @ £245)
£245.00
Airfield charges
£25.00
Total direct costs
£270.00
  • Pilot pays£67.50
  • Each of 3 passengers pays£67.50

The simplest case: four people, four equal shares. The pilot pays exactly the same as everyone else.

A C152 trip with one passenger

Aircraft hire (1.2 hrs @ £200)
£240.00
Airfield charges
£15.00
Total direct costs
£255.00
  • Pilot pays£127.50
  • Each of 1 passenger pays£127.50

With two seats, each person pays half. Fewer seats means a bigger share each, even in a cheaper aircraft.

Three on board in a DA40, with an odd total

Aircraft hire (1.5 hrs @ £290)
£435.00
Airfield charges
£32.00
Total direct costs
£467.00
  • Pilot pays£155.68
  • Each of 2 passengers pays£155.66

£467 does not divide evenly by three, so the pilot covers the odd pennies. Passengers never pay more than an equal share.

Allowed: the pilot pays more

On a £300 flight with three on board, an equal share is £100. The pilot can choose to pay £140 so each passenger pays £80.

Not allowed: passengers subsidise the pilot

If the passengers split the whole £300 between them and the pilot flies for free - or the total includes the aircraft's insurance or a margin for the pilot - it is not a cost-shared flight.

Try your own numbers in the cost sharing calculator.

On a UK cost-shared flight, add up the direct costs, divide by everyone on board including you, and that is the most any passenger can pay. You pay at least the same, and you can choose to pay more.

The legal wording, in NCO.GEN.102(c), is that each passenger's contribution "is an amount not more than the total direct costs divided equally by the number of persons carried (including the pilot)". CAP 1590 (para 27) puts it from the pilot's side: your share "must not be less than" an equal share, though you "may however choose to pay more than the proportional costs".

Reading the examples

Each example above adds up only the costs that can be shared: fuel, oil, airfield charges and aircraft hire. The hire rates are typical UK club wet rates. See aircraft cost sharing prices for the figures behind them, and check your own club's rates.

  • Even totals split exactly. Four people in a PA-28 means four identical shares.
  • Two-seaters cost more per person even when the hourly rate is lower, because there are only two people to share with.
  • Odd totals leave a few pennies over. Give those to the pilot so no passenger goes over an equal share.

You can pay more than your share, never less

You can always cover more than your share: a flight that costs £300 with three people on board has a £100 equal share, and you're free to pay £140 so your passengers pay £80 each. The CAA's response to its consultation (CAP 2391) confirms passengers "are able to pay less than the equal share".

What you can't do is pay less than an equal share yourself, ask passengers to cover costs that aren't direct costs, or build in any profit. The CAA's cost sharing page presents this pilot minimum as applying from 1 October 2025. See what changed on 1 October 2025.

Do the sums for your flight

The cost sharing calculator works out the split for any number of people, and gives the odd pennies to the pilot automatically. Once the numbers are sorted, Split My Flight handles the passenger declarations and records for the same flight, at no cost.

Frequently asked questions

Can a passenger pay more than an equal share if another pays less?
The rules cap each passenger's contribution at the total direct costs divided equally by everyone on board. The CAA has said the pilot may not request or accept more than that equal contribution, so the cautious approach is never to charge any passenger more than an equal share.
Do I split the estimated or the actual costs?
The rules talk about the direct costs of the flight, so base the final split on the actual costs once you know them. If you collect money in advance, refund any overpayment so no passenger ends up paying more than an equal share.
What if the costs don't divide evenly?
Round the passengers' shares down and cover the odd pennies yourself. That keeps every passenger at or below an equal share, and you at or above yours.

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

What counts as a direct cost on a cost-sharing flight?

The four costs UK passengers can share (fuel, oil, airfield charges, market-rate rental), what's excluded, and the grey areas pilots should treat cautiously.

Can a private pilot charge passengers?

A UK private pilot can't make a profit, but passengers can pay up to an equal share of the direct costs. Here's how the split works, with an example.

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.