Data of the HEGRA scintillator and AIROBICC arrays have been used to determine the energy spectrum of the light component (p+α) of charged cosmic rays in the energy range between 3·1014 eV and 1016 eV. The air showers initiated by light nuclei are separated from those of heavier nuclei by applying an energy dependent cut on the reconstructed depth of the air shower maximum. The energy spectrum of the light component can be described by two power laws with a smooth transition at an energy around 3·1015 eV.