Aircraft acquisition: from defining the mission to registration with ANAC

Signs that buying starts to pay off

• High, stable flight hours: the more hours per year, the more the fixed cost of an owned aircraft is diluted per flight hour.
• Repetitive missions: fixed routes between farms, industrial plants or regional bases justify an aircraft sized for that mission.
• Need to depart at short notice: an owned aircraft eliminates negotiating each flight.
• Cabin, security or privacy requirements that call for a standardized crew and configuration.
• Potential to generate revenue by placing the aircraft under the management of an RBAC 135 operator when the owner is not using it, which reduces, but rarely eliminates, the cost of ownership.

How to run the numbers without fooling yourself

There is no magic number of hours that defines the break-even point between chartering and buying, because it changes with the aircraft category, the exchange rate, the cost of capital and the usage profile. The correct method is to compare, over the same horizon (for example, five years), the total cost of ownership of the aircraft, including depreciation and the opportunity cost of capital, with the cost of flying the same hours by charter or Jet Card, also accounting for repositioning flights. People who fly little usually find that charter, combined with empty leg opportunities and the benefits of programs such as Clube Infinity, delivers more flexibility for less money. Those who fly a lot, on predictable missions, tend to find aircraft acquisition the more rational solution. Embarque Oficial builds this side-by-side comparison before any purchase proposal.

Components of the total cost of ownership

Why the purchase price is only the beginning

Two aircraft of the same model, with the same asking price, can have very different ownership costs. One may arrive with a major inspection just completed and engines covered by an hourly program; the other may be a few months away from a heavy check with engines off program, which transfers a significant liability to the buyer. That is why the acquisition budget must include a reserve for items found in the pre-purchase inspection, for import (where applicable) and for the first months of operation. Recurring costs and ways to reduce them are covered in the Aircraft Management Guide, and Embarque Oficial offers aircraft management for owners who want to outsource that routine.

Between 2025 and 2026, the pre-owned business aircraft market went through a period of low inventory and firm prices. According to an analysis by Jefferies using Amstat data, reported by AIN at the end of February 2026, there were 1,015 pre-owned business jets for sale in February 2026, down 12% in one year, equivalent to about 4% of the active fleet; average asking prices rose 7% over twelve months. In large cabin, inventory fell 21% over the period. Low inventory means fewer options and more competition for good aircraft, which demands quick decisions and an acquisition structure ready to go.

The Brazilian market

According to ANAC data compiled by ABAG (Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral, the Brazilian General Aviation Association), Brazil's operational business aviation fleet totaled 11,362 aircraft in May 2026, up 8.5% in twelve months; according to the breakdown published by ABAG, this base includes jets, turboprops, helicopters and piston airplanes. Business jets reached 1,193 units, growth of 12.5%. According to ABAG and Citi analysts, Brazil is the world's second-largest business aviation market, behind the United States. Citi executives interviewed by Bloomberg Línea in 2025 reported growing demand for larger, long-range jets, with financing predominantly in US dollars for these aircraft. Anyone buying a private jet in Brazil therefore competes in a large and active market. The full overview of the sector is in the Business Aviation Guide.

Sources of reference values

In the international market, professionals use databases and price guides such as Amstat, JETNET, Vref and Aircraft Bluebook to check inventory, recorded transactions and reference values by model, year and configuration. These tools are generally paid and intended for professional use. The asking price in listings is not the closing price: the real value of a pre-owned aircraft is adjusted by technical and documentation factors.

What most affects the value of a pre-owned aircraft

• Airframe and engine hours and cycles relative to the model average.
• Active, transferable hourly engine and APU programs, which reduce the overhaul liability.
• Maintenance status: how long until the next major inspection and engine overhauls.
• Damage history and the quality of repairs, with approved documentation.
• Complete records since manufacture (back-to-birth), without gaps.
• Avionics, connectivity, paint and interior, including upgrades required by airspace mandates.
• Origin and registration: aircraft already registered in Brazil avoid import costs and lead times.

Models with good liquidity

Liquidity is how easy it is to resell. Models with a large fleet, manufacturer support and a maintenance base in Brazil are usually easier to sell and to maintain. Among light jets, the Phenom 300 family and the Citation CJ3 are benchmarks; among midsize and super-midsize jets, the Praetor 500 and the Challenger 3500; among turboprops, the Pilatus PC-12; among helicopters, the Esquilo AS350 B2, built in Brazil by Helibras in Itajubá, Minas Gerais. Check the technical specification sheets and the aircraft page to compare performance and cabin.

Negotiating a pre-owned aircraft follows a sequence well established in the international market: letter of intent, escrow deposit, purchase agreement, pre-purchase inspection, technical acceptance and closing. Each document reduces a specific type of risk, and skipping steps is the most common way to turn a good aircraft acquisition into litigation.

Step-by-step transaction

1. Letter of intent (LOI): a short document that sets the price, the aircraft (model, serial number, registration), the inspection location, deadlines, the deposit and conditions. The LOI is usually largely non-binding as to the purchase itself, but binding as to exclusivity, confidentiality and deposit rules.
2. Escrow deposit: the buyer places a deposit with a neutral escrow agent, not in the seller's or broker's account. In the United States, it is common to use escrow and title companies located in Oklahoma City, near the FAA aircraft registry.
3. Aircraft purchase agreement (APA): the definitive, binding instrument, negotiated by both parties' lawyers.
4. Pre-purchase inspection (PPI): performed at the facility chosen by the buyer, according to the scope set out in the APA.
5. Technical acceptance: the buyer accepts the aircraft, rejects it or accepts it subject to correction of discrepancies or a price reduction.
6. Closing: escrow releases payment against delivery of the transfer documents and of the aircraft at the agreed location.

Essential APA clauses

• Delivery condition: airworthy aircraft, with all systems operating, complete records and no undisclosed damage.
• Distinction between airworthiness and cosmetic discrepancies: the former are normally corrected by the seller; the latter are negotiated.
• Cap on correction costs above which either party may walk away.
• Return of the deposit if the aircraft is rejected at inspection within the rules of the agreement.
• Clear title, with liens and international registrations discharged before closing.
• Delivery location, which may have tax implications at origin and destination.
• Risk of loss until delivery, transferred warranties, governing law and jurisdiction.

In Brazil: the title transfer document

When the aircraft is already registered in Brazil, the transfer is formalized by a title transfer document (título de transferência de propriedade) signed by seller and buyer, with notarized signatures, which is then filed with the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry. The Código Brasileiro de Aeronáutica (Brazilian Aeronautical Code, Law No. 7,565/1986), in Article 115, establishes that a transfer of title between living persons only transfers ownership from the date of its registration with the RAB. Until registration, a buyer who has paid is not yet, as far as third parties are concerned, the owner. That is why closing must be tied to registration, not merely to signing.

Before signing any LOI, talk to the Embarque Oficial team to structure deadlines, deposit and inspection scope according to the aircraft and the seller's country.

The title and lien search confirms that the seller is the actual owner and that the aircraft is free of encumbrances such as mortgages, fiduciary liens (alienação fiduciária), leases, court attachments and international interests. An aircraft may have records in more than one place: the national registry of the country of registration and the International Registry created by the Cape Town Convention.

Brazilian Aeronautical Registry (RAB)

The Registro Aeronáutico Brasileiro, maintained by ANAC, is where ownership, registration and rights over Brazilian-registered aircraft are recorded, such as leases, mortgages and acts of judicial or administrative authorities. The RAB offers online services through the Rab Digital system and certificates showing the aircraft's legal status. Before signing, request an up-to-date certificate and check the registered owner, the registered operator, use agreements (such as an operating lease or gratuitous loan, known as comodato) and any court annotations.

Cape Town Convention and International Registry

Brazil incorporated the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and its Aircraft Protocol, signed in Cape Town in 2001, through Decree No. 8,008 of May 15, 2013. The Convention created the International Registry, an international electronic registry operated by Aviareto, in which international interests, sales and assignments gain priority in order of registration. The Aircraft Protocol applies to airplane airframes certified to carry at least eight people, including crew, or more than 2,750 kg of cargo; to helicopters certified for at least five people, including crew; and to jet engines with at least 1,750 lb of thrust or turbine or piston engines with at least 550 hp.

Brazil's entry point and IDERA

• Authorizing entry point: Brazil designated the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry as the authorizing entry point for airframes and helicopters. To register an interest in a Brazilian aircraft with the International Registry, an authorization code issued by the RAB is required.
• IDERA (Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorization): a document recorded with the RAB that allows the creditor or lessor to request deregistration and export of the aircraft in the event of default, without depending on the debtor's consent.
• Practical effect for the buyer: an aircraft with an IDERA recorded in favor of a bank cannot be freely sold without that creditor's release.

Aircraft coming from the United States

For US-registered aircraft (N-prefix), the search covers the FAA registry and the International Registry. It is common to find mechanic's liens for unpaid work, old bank security interests never discharged and recorded leases. The escrow agent and the buyer's lawyer must obtain the release of all these records before closing, and the buyer should require an updated priority search on the day of closing.

Common mistakes

• Relying on an old certificate, issued weeks before closing.
• Searching only the national registry and forgetting the International Registry (or the reverse).
• Not searching engines separately, since engines may carry their own interests.
• Accepting a promise of release after payment.

The ownership structure defines in whose name the aircraft will be registered, who is liable for its operation, how costs are accounted for and how a future sale will work. There is no single answer: the choice depends on use (personal, corporate or mixed), the assets involved, the need for financing and the succession plan. The most common structures in Brazil are the individual, the company (including asset holding companies) and co-ownership (condomínio) among several owners.

Owner and operator do not have to be the same person

In Brazil, it is common for the aircraft to belong to one person or company and be operated by another: a management company, a private operator or an air taxi company. Article 123 of the Brazilian Aeronautical Code defines the operator as whoever uses the aircraft, owned or not, and also the lessee who assumes technical control and authority over the crew. Correctly registering the operator with the RAB protects the owner and organizes liability.

Co-ownership: what the agreement must cover

• Each co-owner's percentage and the rule for splitting fixed and variable costs.
• Usage calendar, priority on contested dates and a conflict resolution rule.
• Who the registered operator is and who hires crew, maintenance and insurance.
• Right of first refusal and rules for a co-owner's exit.
• Criteria for selling the aircraft and dividing the proceeds.

Corporate use and personal use

When the aircraft belongs to the company and also carries partners and family members on personal trips, the structure must be designed with an accountant and a lawyer to avoid tax and corporate challenges. For companies that use the aircraft as a business tool, the corporate aviation page shows how to combine an owned aircraft with charter. For those planning to buy a helicopter, the specifics of helipads and urban operations are covered in the Executive Helicopters Guide.

Structure and financing

Banks and lessors often have preferences about structure: many require the borrower to be a company with financial statements, personal guarantees from the partners and clauses on who may operate the aircraft. Defining the structure before the LOI avoids redoing documents and delaying the closing.

1. IBA – Aircraft fractional ownership in Brazil: a long-waited regulation
2. Panrotas – Anac aprova programa de propriedade compartilhada de aeronaves (2021)
3. Machado Meyer – Nova regulamentação sobre propriedade compartilhada de aeronaves (IS 91-013)
4. Gov.br / ANAC – Realizar a comunicação de venda de aeronave
5. ANAC – IS 91.403-001: aeronavegabilidade continuada e CVA
6. Código Brasileiro de Aeronáutica (Lei 7.565/1986) – Da propriedade e exploração da aeronave
7. Machado Meyer – Brasil formaliza a adesão à Convenção da Cidade do Cabo (Decreto 8.008/2013)
8. Vedder Price – Cape Town Convention and entry points
9. Chambers – Aviation Finance and Leasing 2025: Brazil
10. FAA – Special import requirements: Brazil (ANAC)
11. Fazcomex – Admissão temporária para utilização econômica (IN RFB 1.600/2015)
12. A Crítica – Governo pede alíquota zero para aeronaves no Imposto Seletivo (set/2026)
13. AIN – Preowned business jet inventory falls, prices climb (fev/2026)
14. GlobalAir – GAMA releases 2025 aircraft shipment and billing results
15. AirData News – Embraer sets new record in 2025 with 155 business jets delivered
16. Forbes Brasil – Brasil chega a 11 mil aeronaves executivas (jul/2026)
17. Bloomberg Línea – Procura por jatos maiores muda o perfil da aviação executiva no Brasil (2025)
18. Pratt & Whitney – Maintenance programs: a prerequisite for pre-owned aircraft operators
19. NBAA – Aircraft Transactions Guide
20. Legismap / CNseg – Seguro aeronáutico: casco e RETA (set/2026)

Guide written by Régis Hahns, CEO of Embarque Oficial, with the company's editorial team, based on the sources above. Rules, prices and lead times change: always confirm with ANAC, the manufacturer or a specialist before deciding. Embarque Oficial serves clients worldwide, from Monaco, Dubai, Capri and Rome to every region of Brazil, and arranges each flight with operators certified by ANAC, Brazil's civil aviation authority, in Brazil and by the local aviation authority abroad.