Positioning flight.
A positioning flight is a non-revenue sector flown to place an aircraft at the airport where its next revenue flight begins, or to return it to base afterwards. Positioning flights are a normal part of on-demand charter. Their cost is either absorbed by the operator, passed to the customer, or recovered by selling the sector as an empty leg.
| Term | Positioning flight |
|---|---|
| Used in | Private aviation, charter brokerage and operations |
| Related terms | Ferry flight, Repositioning, Empty leg, Round-trip charter |
| Sources | 1 listed below |
What does Positioning flight mean in practice?
Every charter quote contains positioning, whether or not it is itemised.
A round trip from the aircraft's home base needs little or none. A one-way trip away from base can require two positioning sectors: one to reach you and one to return afterwards. That is why one-way charter often costs close to a round trip. Brokers reduce positioning by matching your route to aircraft already nearby, and by selling the return sector as an empty leg to another customer. From a traveller's perspective, positioning affects two things: price and reliability. A long positioning sector adds weather, technical and crew-duty risk before you even board. If a quote looks unusually cheap, check whether the operator has assumed the aircraft will already be in place. A written quote should state the departure airport of each sector.
Questions
What does Positioning flight mean?
A positioning flight is a non-revenue sector flown to place an aircraft at the airport where its next revenue flight begins, or to return it to base afterwards. Positioning flights are a normal part of on-demand charter. Their cost is either absorbed by the operator, passed to the customer, or recovered by selling the sector as an empty leg.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ferry flying (accessed 2026-09-20)
Last reviewed 20 September 2026 by Empty Leg Exclusive Editorial Team.