A ferry flight is an airline industry flight that carries no passengers or revenue cargo and moves an aircraft from one location to another.
Airlines use ferry flights for several operational reasons. An aircraft may need to be delivered from a manufacturer, repositioned to another base, moved to a maintenance facility, or transferred after a lease or ownership change. The aircraft can still carry fuel, crew, technical equipment, or legally required onboard items.
A ferry flight is related to, but not always identical with, a positioning flight. Positioning describes moving an aircraft or crew into place for a later service and may sometimes involve passengers or a scheduled operational purpose. “Deadhead” usually refers to airline crew traveling as passengers for work rather than to an aircraft flying empty.
The exact operational designation can depend on aviation regulations and the airline’s flight plan.