Aircraft charter: understand all solutions available

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There are numerous reasons for someone to hire an aircraft charter service. Certainly the exclusivity of the operation is one of the requirements in consideration, but the reasons why someone ultimately chooses the service can vary greatly. Between a weekend at the beach with family and a last minute business meeting, the range of modalities available in the air taxi segment shows just how versatile a charter can be.

Executive Flight

In a world that is temporarily confined and increasingly connected by digital platforms, where teleconferencing meetings have become popular and personal contact has become a luxury, large companies are recognizing the value of physical presence and do not “cheap out”on costs when it comes to strengthening relationships with partners, prospecting customers, or even closing contracts.

Business travel is at the heart of civil aviation, and would be no different when chartering aircraft. Executive passengers excel in comfort and agility, must always be connected, and aim for efficiency first – characteristics that are strictly followed in the air taxi booklet.

Among aircraft types, executives prefer jet aircraft. According to Avinode statistics for September 2020, the most searched categories worldwide in the last 12 months were heavy jets (20% of all orders) and light jets (also 20%). This includes models like Legacy 600 and Hawker 1000 (heavy jet) and the Citation CJ2 and Learjet 31 jets (light jets).

Leisure Flight

If the business world is already familiar with the procedures and practices of business aviation, the non-professional part of the market still has much to learn about this relationship. Little by little, the advantages of chartering are gaining recognition as an exclusive leisure experience.

It is on board a helicopter or jet, with the autonomy to carry out national and international flights, that a family can have the convenience of landing exactly at the destination of their vacation, without the need for transfers or other large displacements. Whether for long holidays, romantic getaways, or family visits, leisure charter is the service that unites efficient and safe transportation with practicality and luxury.

In Brazil, some of the most frequently listed leisure routes include the São Paulo – Angra dos Reis (RJ), Rio de Janeiro – Búzios (RJ), São Paulo – Trancoso (BA) and Salvador – Morro de São Paulo (BA) sections .

Cargo Flight

It is not always with people that an aircraft fills up to make a flight. The cargo segment is an important aspect of civil aviation operations. In December 2019 alone, it exceeded 42 thousand tons transported, according to the Brazilian Association of Airlines (ABEAR).

In business aviation, there are numerous solutions available for cargo transportation. Aircraft models dictate the quantity and size to be moved, ranging from 1000 kg and 3 m³ in the cargo compartment of the Caravan Grand to the incredible 130,000 kg and 856.7 m³ in the Boeing 747-8 Freighter.

Valuables Goods Transportation

In the field of cargo transportation, some orders are more precious than others. It is at this moment when the client needs to move valuable or rare objects that the valuable goods transport segment appears. In executive aviation, “values” means banking services (banknotes, coins, lottery tickets); high-income products (jewelry, art, and collectibles); mining products (gold, silver, metals, and high-value raw materials); and diplomatic articles (confidential documents and restricted items).

By law, this type of service can only be performed by companies accredited by ANAC and, even so, an operation must be duly authorized, in a process that involves reinforcing the security of external costs. In Brazil, the most popular airplanes for transporting valuables include the Embraer Navajo and Carajá, Caravan Grand, King Air B200, or Bandeirante P1 models.

Aeromedical Flight

In emergency medical situations, executive aviation has the capacity to fulfill the fundamental function of a specialized mobile unit. Popularly known as aerial ICU, aircraft adapted for this service differ from conventional equipment both in the installed medical devices and in the crew that accompanies the displacement.

Air taxi companies accredited for this operating model can perform operations such as the transport of organs and tissues, however, it is in the transfer of patients between hospital units that the service is most used. It should be noted that aeromedical flights tend to be more expensive than regular business flights. This is due to the cost of extra equipment, as well as up to two additional medical professionals, who normally accompany passengers.

Groups Flight

For civil aviation, a trip is considered a group trip from the 10th passenger. In business aviation, the advantages and amenities are multiplied by chartering large groups. In addition to the practicality of a whole journey designed so that passengers do not disperse, with terminals and exclusive boardings, groups benefit from the comfort of flying in an aircraft of the right size for the trip.

Chartering a plane in this situation tends, moreover, to have a better cost benefit in the average ticket per seat used. The ideal aircraft comes from the extensive list of planes available on Flapper platform, ranging from the 12 seats of the Challenger 604 to the 412 seats of the Boeing 777-300 ER.

Repatriation Flight

Episodes of calamity, such as natural disasters, military conflicts, or disease outbreaks, are capable of ending basic services in affected areas. When something of this magnitude happens, those in transit may find themselves deprived of the return to their place of origin.

At such times, it is up to Itamaraty to intervene on behalf of Brazilians. However, the government is not always able to resolve the issue in a timely manner. One way out is private repatriation flights, carried out by air taxi companies authorized to promote international charters. Flapper is the only Brazilian company certified by Wyvern Safety for charter flights all over the world. We have a properly trained team to seek flight permits in the most distant places on the planet.

Panoramic Flights

As beautiful or more beautiful than witnessing the natural beauty of Brazil up close is seeing it from the top of the clouds. Panoramic flights are available in almost all major tourist destinations in the country and represent one of the most economical charter modalities on the market.

According to the ANAC regulation that deals with panoramic flights, the service must always take off and land at the same location, without landing at intermediate points. The purpose of the activity, as the name says, is to promote a flight with beautiful scenery that has no displacement function.

The most popular places in Brazil for scenic flights are Rio de Janeiro, Foz do Iguaçu, São Paulo, Fortaleza, Balneário Camboriú, and Manaus.