How to Enable Flight on Your Minecraft Server
Allow flight on your Minecraft Java server and stop players from being kicked for flying with elytra, jetpacks, or movement mods.
By default, Minecraft servers kick any non-creative player detected as airborne — this is the built-in anti-cheat that throws "Flying is not enabled on this server". The allow-flight setting in server.properties disables that check.
Important:
allow-flight=truedoes not give players creative-mode flight. It only stops the anti-cheat from kicking players who are airborne. Players still need an elytra, mod, jetpack, or/gamemode creativeto actually fly.
Enable Flight
Stop the server
In the XGamingServer Panel, open Console and stop your server.
Edit server.properties
Click Files in the sidebar and open server.properties. Find:
allow-flight=true| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
false | Anti-cheat kicks airborne players (default) |
true | Anti-cheat allows airborne players |
Click Save Content.
Start the server
Start from Console. Players can now fly without being kicked.
When to Enable
- Modded servers with jetpacks, hang gliders, mounts, or flying vehicles (Mekanism, Botania, Iron Jetpacks, etc.)
- Elytra-heavy servers where players use elytra for transport
- Lag-prone networks — players desyncing often get falsely kicked for "flying"
- Build / creative servers where players have creative mode anyway
When to Keep Disabled
- Vanilla survival servers where flight = cheating
- Anarchy / PvP servers where flying gives an unfair combat advantage
- Faction servers to prevent base raiding from above
Better Alternatives
Vanilla allow-flight is all-or-nothing. For finer control:
| Tool | What it lets you do |
|---|---|
EssentialsX /fly | Per-player fly toggle, OP-only by default |
CMI /fly | Per-world, per-permission fly control |
| NoCheatPlus / AAC / Vulcan | Smarter anti-cheat that allows elytra and legitimate flight without disabling the kick |
Most servers running modded transport leave allow-flight=true and let a permissions plugin restrict actual /fly access.
Common Issues
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Players still kicked for flying | The allow-flight=true change wasn't saved, or the server wasn't restarted |
/fly command not found | Vanilla has no /fly command — install EssentialsX or use /gamemode creative |
| Elytra users still kicked | Some anti-cheat plugins have separate elytra checks — whitelist elytra in the plugin config |
| Players abusing flight hacks | Use a real anti-cheat (Vulcan, AAC) instead of the vanilla check |
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