Executive Air Taxi Guide: how to charter an aircraft safely

An executive air taxi is a non-scheduled public air transport service in which the client hires the entire aircraft, with crew, to fly on the day, at the time and on the route of their choice. In Brazil, ANAC (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil), the country's civil aviation authority, classifies air taxi as a type of non-scheduled air transport service, and the companies that provide it operate under RBAC 135 (Regulamento Brasileiro da Aviação Civil, the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation). In the market, the terms charter, charter flight, private jet charter, chartered jet and aircraft hire with crew are often used as synonyms. Legally, however, only a company authorized and certified by ANAC may sell passenger air transport for remuneration.

How charter works in practice

In executive charter, you pay for the aircraft, not for a seat. The client sets the origin, the destination, the departure time and the number of passengers, up to the aircraft's seat limit. The air taxi operator is responsible for the crew, maintenance, flight planning, mandatory insurance and compliance with the rules of ANAC and DECEA (Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo), Brazil's airspace control department. Passengers board at general aviation terminals, VIP lounges or FBOs, usually with just a few minutes of formalities, and can fly to airstrips that no scheduled airline serves.

A typical charter flight follows five stages: the quote request, the proposal with aircraft and price, the signing of the contract, payment and boarding. Throughout this guide, each stage is explained in detail, together with the precautions that prevent pricing surprises and safety risks.

Why air taxi is growing in Brazil

According to ANAC data compiled by ABAG (Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral), the Brazilian General Aviation Association, and published in July 2026, Brazil's business aviation fleet totaled 11,362 operational aircraft in May 2026, up from 10,893 in May 2025. Business jets rose from 1,060 to 1,193 over the same period, an increase of 12.5%. The fleet dedicated to air taxi reached 739 aircraft in May 2026, growth of 5.6% over the 700 registered a year earlier. With these figures, ABAG ranks Brazil as the second-largest business aviation market in the world, behind only the United States.

The core argument for an executive air taxi is reach. According to ABAG, scheduled airlines serve just over 147 locations in Brazil, while business aviation can reach more than 5,500 municipalities. In a continent-sized country, with farms, industrial hubs, mining areas and beach destinations far from major airports, this means trading a full day of connections and roads for a few hours of direct flight.

Who uses executive air taxi the most

• Companies that need to take executives and technical teams to several cities on the same day, for factory visits, audits and roadshows.
• Agribusiness, with frequent trips between state capitals and farms in the Center-West, the Matopiba region and the North.
• Families and leisure groups flying to destinations such as Trancoso, Angra dos Reis, Jericoacoara, Punta del Este and Fernando de Noronha.
• Events and emergencies, such as weddings, Grand Prix races, sports finals, organ transport and air ambulance transfers, which have their own rules.

Embarque Oficial's role in private jet charter in Brazil

Embarque Oficial organizes executive air taxi flights with air taxi operators certified by ANAC. This means the company sources the aircraft that suits the mission, compares proposals, checks the operator's and the aircraft's documentation and accompanies the client through to disembarkation. The flight operation itself is always carried out by a company holding an Air Operator Certificate, which signs the contract of carriage with the passenger. For frequent flyers, Embarque Oficial also offers the Jet Card, the Clube Infinity and aircraft management, acquisition, sales and financing services.

An empty leg, also called an opportunity flight (voo de oportunidade), is a leg on which a business aircraft would otherwise fly empty, usually to return to base after dropping off a client or to pick up another passenger in a different city. Since that flight would happen anyway, the operator can sell it for less than a regular charter, and the passenger gets the same aircraft, the same crew and the same safety standard.

How opportunity flights work

A typical example: a jet flies a family from São Paulo to Trancoso on Saturday and returns empty to São Paulo the same day. The Trancoso–São Paulo leg becomes an empty leg. Anyone in Trancoso who can fly at that time pays less than they would for a full charter flight. The same logic applies to international routes, such as repositioning a long-range jet between Brazil and Florida.

Advantages

• A lower price than traditional charter, because part of the cost is already covered.
• The same certified operator and the same RBAC 135 rules.
• The chance to fly on larger aircraft than your budget would normally allow.

Limitations you need to know

• Fixed date and time: the main flight sets the schedule, not the empty-leg passenger.
• Risk of cancellation: Forbes notes, in a 2026 report, that empty legs can disappear if the main itinerary changes. If the original client postpones the flight, the empty leg moves with it.
• Restricted route: origin and destination are already set. In some cases the airport can be adjusted, at extra cost.
• Return on your own: an empty leg is usually one-way, so the return trip needs another plan.

When an empty leg is worth it

An opportunity flight makes most sense for travelers with flexible schedules: leisure trips, open-ended returns, trips to a beach or country house and journeys where a backup plan on a scheduled airline is acceptable. For meetings with fixed times, roadshows or events on set dates, a conventional executive air taxi charter is the safer choice.

How to find empty legs safely

Empty legs are advertised by operators and by companies that organize flights. Embarque Oficial publishes and tracks opportunities on its empty legs page, and members of the Clube Infinity can be notified when legs matching their travel profile come up. The safety rule is the same as for a regular charter: confirm the operator and the registration in ANAC's systems, because very cheap offers on social media are also a gateway to illegal flights. One example of a long-range opportunity flight is the repositioning of a Gulfstream G550 between Brazil and the United States.

An empty leg is not the same as a shared seat

With an empty leg, the passenger charters the entire aircraft at a reduced price. With a shared seat, the operator sells individual seats on a flight, which requires the company to comply with specific ANAC rules. Always ask which model applies before booking.

A helicopter is the best air taxi choice when the distance is short but traffic, geography or the lack of a runway makes ground travel slow. In Brazil's major cities, helicopter air taxi connects heliports on office buildings, hotels and residential complexes to airports and leisure destinations in minutes.

Most common uses of the executive helicopter

• Airport transfer: linking a corporate heliport to Guarulhos, Congonhas, Campo de Marte, Catarina or Galeão, connecting with a jet or airline flight.
• Beach and country houses: legs such as São Paulo–North Coast, Rio–Angra dos Reis or São Paulo–Fazenda Boa Vista.
• Agribusiness and industry: visits to farms, mills, construction sites and platforms without a landing strip.
• Events: Grand Prix races, concerts and weddings at hard-to-reach venues.
• Scenic flights: an operation with its own ANAC rules, currently under review in RBAC 136.

Single-engine or twin-engine?

Single-engine helicopters, such as the Esquilo AS350 B2, the Bell 407 and the Airbus EC130 B4, have a lower hourly cost and serve short legs well in good weather. Twin-engine helicopters, such as the Agusta A109E Power and the Airbus H145, offer engine redundancy, a larger cabin and, depending on configuration and certification, instrument flight capability. Many companies require twin-engine helicopters in their travel policies for flights over dense urban areas or over water.

Restrictions that affect helicopter flights

Helicopters depend heavily on weather, because most urban operations are flown under visual flight rules. Low ceilings, heavy rain and reduced visibility can delay or cancel the flight. In addition, each heliport has its own rules: operating hours, maximum helicopter weight, prior authorization requirements and, in some cases, municipal regulations. In August 2026, for example, Rio de Janeiro's city government terminated the Lagoa heliport use agreements of five companies that lacked municipal authorization to sell scenic flights.

How to book a helicopter safely

The same rules that apply to airplanes apply to helicopters: the company must be authorized as an air taxi, and the registration must appear on the RAB linked to an operator authorized to provide 135 service. Ask whether the origin and destination heliports are certified or registered and whether the operator is authorized to land there.

Embarque Oficial organizes executive helicopter transfers and scenic flights with certified operators.

An international air taxi flight departing Brazil requires three things: an operator authorized to fly abroad, an airport with border control at departure and arrival, and passenger, crew and aircraft documents in order. South America is the most accessible international market for Brazilian executive charter, with destinations such as Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, Asunción, Lima and Bariloche within reach of midsize jets and, in some cases, of light jets and turboprops with a stop.

International clearance: customs, immigration and health

International flights depart from and arrive at international airports, where the Receita Federal (Brazil's federal revenue and customs service), the Federal Police and the health and agricultural authorities operate. In business aviation, these procedures are handled at general aviation terminals or through FBOs, which organize the passage of passengers and crew through the controls. Goods subject to declaration must be reported to the Receita Federal through the e-DBV (electronic traveler's goods declaration), as on any international trip. The operator also files the international flight plan and obtains the overflight and landing permits required by the countries involved.

Operator authorizations

Not every air taxi company may fly outside Brazil. The Operations Specifications define whether the operator is authorized for international operations and with which aircraft. Ask about this when requesting a quote, especially for destinations outside South America. In the opposite direction, foreign companies that want to conduct non-scheduled air transport to or from Brazil follow ANAC Resolution No. 692/2022, which requires registration and, depending on size, an Air Operator Certificate, with an exemption for aircraft with up to 19 seats and for helicopters in some cases. The same resolution treats operations by a foreign company between two points within Brazil as exceptional.

Documents for flying abroad

• A valid passport; for Mercosur and associated countries, a national ID card may be accepted, according to each country's rules.
• Visas and electronic travel authorizations when required by the destination.
• Travel authorization for minors in accordance with the ECA and CNJ Resolution No. 131.
• Health certificates for pets, according to the destination country.

Long-range routes

For the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, charter requires long-range jets such as the Global 6500 or the Gulfstream G550. In a survey published in 2026, Flapper cited a quote of around R$ 2.72 million for a São Paulo–Shanghai flight on a Gulfstream G550, an estimate that shows the cost scale of intercontinental routes. On very long routes, the choice between flying nonstop or making a fuel stop affects price, time and comfort.

Embarque Oficial organizes flights to South America and intercontinental flights, supported by its network of offices in Monaco, Dubai, London, Paris, Liverpool, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Las Vegas and Shanghai for logistics at the destination. The offices coordinate operations behind the scenes; client service is provided via the web, via WhatsApp and in person at boarding, at heliports and airports.