Is my flight legal?

"Is my flight legal?" is the title of a leaflet the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued in 2007 to warn travellers about paying to fly with operators that do not hold an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). The CAA has repeated the message many times since. Its current leaflet, CAP 2285 on illegal public transport flights, puts it simply: never assume your flight is legal and never accept a flight on trust.

The trade body The Air Charter Association marks 21 January each year as Fly Legal Day. The date remembers the 2019 accident in which footballer Emiliano Sala and his pilot died on an illegal charter flight. Its advice is short: use an accredited broker, check the aircraft and crew are licensed, and report anything you suspect is illegal.

The CAA says a paid flight in a light aircraft or business jet is recognised in law as commercial air transport and should never be considered a private arrangement. The operator must have the correct certificate, insurance and licences.

In practice that certificate is the AOC. Once it is granted, the CAA keeps overseeing the holder with audits, inspections, flight and ramp checks, reviews of crew training and checks on maintenance and the operator's safety management system. A foreign operator flying you needs the equivalent certificate and permissions from its own regulator.

An illegal or grey charter is a flight sold for money on an aircraft or by a pilot that does not hold the commercial approvals. It often looks like a bargain, or is presented as a favour between friends, a private flight with "costs covered" or a flight on an owner's aircraft.

The risks are real. The CAA warns that you may not be insured and that knowingly using an illegal operator may break the law. In the Sala accident, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that the aircraft was carrying a passenger on a commercial basis and that neither the pilot nor the aircraft had the required licences or permissions to operate commercially.

Warning signs in the CAA's leaflet include being told the operator does not need an AOC, not being able to find out which company is flying you, and not being given the pilot's name or qualifications when you ask. A price far below every other quote is another reason to ask questions. The CAA's advice if you hear that last one: ask why.

There is one legal way to share a private flight without an AOC. The CAA allows private pilots to share the direct costs of a flight, such as fuel and airfield charges, with passengers. No more than six people can be on board, including the pilot. Since 1 October 2025 the pilot must pay at least an equal share of the direct costs. There can be no profit, and the flight must be advertised by the pilot who will fly it, not run as a business activity.

The CAA is clear that these are private arrangements, not necessarily flown to a level of safety equivalent to commercial air transport. A business jet sold to you by a company at a profit is never a cost-sharing flight.

• Who is the operator? By law you must be told the operator's name, which may differ from the company selling the flight.
• What is the operator's AOC number, and is this aircraft on it?
• Who are the pilots, and what are their qualifications? The CAA suggests asking.
• Can I see the operator's insurance certificate?
• Is the price for the whole aircraft, and does it include Air Passenger Duty and VAT where they apply?

A legitimate operator or broker will answer all of these without hesitation.

The CAA publishes a list of UK aeroplane and helicopter AOC holders, with contact details, at caa.co.uk/aocholders. The most recent edition is dated 5 October 2026. Search it for the operator's full company name, which is often different from its trading name. If you cannot find the operator, the CAA's leaflet suggests emailing fod.admin@caa.co.uk.

To report a suspected illegal flight, email the CAA's investigation team at iet@caa.co.uk. The CAA says it will prosecute illegal operators.

Every UK flight we arrange is flown by an operator we have checked on that list, named on your quote. Read how on our our operators page, or browse the UK charter operators we work with, each shown with its AOC number.