Ferry Flight

A ferry flight is a non-revenue flight conducted to reposition an aircraft from one location to another. Common reasons for ferry flights include delivering a new aircraft from the manufacturer to an airline, moving an aircraft to a maintenance base for heavy checks, repositioning after lease returns, or relocating aircraft within an airline's network to meet demand.

Ferry flights may operate under a ferry permit (also called a special flight permit) that allows an aircraft to fly without meeting all normal airworthiness requirements — for example, with certain inoperative equipment or after damage that would otherwise ground the aircraft. Conditions are specified in the permit and may include altitude, routing, or weather restrictions.

Ferry flights across oceans require careful planning for fuel, ETOPS considerations (even for delivery flights of new aircraft), overwater equipment, and diplomatic overflight clearances.