Is air taxi safe? How to know whether an operator is ANAC-certified
The difference between air taxi and an unlicensed charter flight is not the airplane. It is the certificate, and it is public record.
Two flights leave the same airport, in the same aircraft model, for the same destination. One is certified public transportation, with audited maintenance, crew within legal duty-time limits and passenger insurance. The other is a private owner charging for a seat. From the window, they look identical. On paper, and on the day something goes wrong, they are opposite worlds.
Certified air taxi (RBAC 135, akin to Part 135) is one of the safest ways to fly in Brazil: the operator needs an Air Operator Certificate (COA) issued by ANAC under RBAC 135, with maintenance, training and oversight requirements that private aviation does not have. The real risk sits in unlicensed charter operations, and the difference between the two is public record: you can check it before boarding, in minutes.
What changes between a private flight and an air taxi
RBAC 91 · private aviation
- The owner flies on their own account and risk
- Maintenance follows the operator's own program
- No commercial-crew duty-time limits imposed
- PROHIBITED from selling a flight or a seat to the public
RBAC 135 · air taxi
- On-demand public transportation, under ANAC's COA
- Maintenance under an approved program, performed by a certified shop
- Duty time, rest and recurrent training all overseen by ANAC
- Insurance appropriate for a paying passenger
The difference between air taxi and an unlicensed charter flight is not the airplane. It is the certificate, and it is public record.
How to check an operator before booking
- 01
Check the company
ANAC publishes the list of certified air taxi companies on its official portal. Anyone not on that list cannot sell a flight, full stop. Jet Tracker's RBAC 135 panel organizes those operators by fleet, base and status, all in one place.
- 02
Check the aircraft on YOUR flight
Ask for the registration (a legitimate operator gives it up without hesitating) and look it up: the aircraft needs to show normal status in the RAB and be linked to the company's operating certificate. The step-by-step lookup is in our guide to the RAB; on Jet Tracker's search, the record comes back in seconds.
- 03
Cross-check both
The common scam is not a fake company: it is the flight sold "off the books," on a private aircraft that does not belong to the certified operation. The right company flying the right aircraft closes the loop. Any mismatch between who sold the flight and who shows up in the registry is a reason to stop.
Four signs to walk away from the flight
A price way out of line, with no explanation
In aviation, a bargain is usually cutting corners you cannot see: maintenance, training, insurance. A steep discount is a question, not a gift.
A registration that will not come up
Refusing to share the flight's registration prefix is the cheapest red flag to check. An operator doing things right is proud of its fleet.
No contract, no invoice
The deal is closed by message, with no company named and no paperwork. If something goes wrong, legally the flight never existed.
A registry that does not match
An aircraft suspended in the RAB, or a registered operator different from whoever sold the flight. Two minutes of checking avoid the worst kind of surprise.
The unlicensed charter flight, named
An unlicensed charter flight is a public offer of paid transportation with no certification behind it: the "friend who has an airplane" selling a seat on social media. Beyond being illegal, it strips away exactly the layers that protect the passenger, and the insurance may not pay out on a claim from an irregular operation. The rule for cost-sharing among private individuals is narrow (expenses split on a flight of shared interest, with no profit and no offer to the public); advertising a seat has already crossed that line.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you know if an air taxi company is properly licensed?
Check whether the operator holds a valid Air Operator Certificate (COA) with ANAC and whether the flight's aircraft is listed in its operations specifications. The lookup is public on the agency's website, and Jet Tracker's RBAC 135 operator directory organizes that information by company, fleet and base.
What is RBAC 135?
It is the ANAC regulation governing non-scheduled public air transportation, that is, air taxi. It imposes maintenance, training, crew duty-time limits and ongoing oversight requirements that do not apply to private aviation (RBAC 91).
Is a shared flight between private individuals legal?
Cost-sharing between a pilot and acquaintances is allowed under narrow rules in private aviation, and it cannot turn into selling seats to the public. A public offer of paid transportation without a certificate constitutes an unlicensed charter flight, with real safety and insurance risk.