An empty leg flight, also known as a deadhead flight, refers to a situation in the private aviation industry where a chartered plane is flying without passengers. This typically occurs because the aircraft is returning to its home base after dropping off passengers or is repositioning to pick up new passengers at a different location.

• Cost Savings: Empty leg flights offer significantly discounted rates compared to regular charters. This can make air travel more accessible for individuals visiting family in remote areas, helping to reduce the financial burden of long and expensive journeys by road.

• Time Efficiency: With limited infrastructure, traveling by road in Zimbabwe can be time-consuming and arduous. Empty leg flights provide a faster alternative, drastically reducing travel time and making it feasible to reach remote communities in a matter of hours instead of days.

• Enhanced Accessibility: These flights can reach areas with limited or no commercial flight services, improving connectivity for remote villages. This can be crucial for delivering essential goods, medical supplies, and other critical resources, thereby supporting local communities.

• Economic Boost: By facilitating quicker and more affordable transportation of goods, empty leg flights can help stimulate economic activity. Businesses can expand their reach, reduce transportation costs, and improve supply chain efficiency, contributing to overall economic development.

• Improved Quality of Life: With more frequent and affordable access to remote areas, empty leg flights can help improve the quality of life for residents by ensuring a more consistent supply of products and services. This can also attract more visitors, boosting local tourism and related industries.

• Supporting Development: Empty leg flights can play a role in infrastructure development by providing a reliable means of transport for construction materials, equipment, and personnel to remote projects, thus aiding in the broader development goals of the region.

• Environmental Considerations: Utilising empty leg flights can be more environmentally friendly than commissioning additional flights, as it makes use of aircraft that would otherwise fly empty. This contributes to more efficient use of resources and reduces the overall carbon footprint of air travel in the region.

Flight Share is the sharing of direct operating costs of general flights between a licensed pilot and their passengers (who will potentially have luggage). You can access flight share sights by clicking one of the two images to the right.