The largest airline fleet in Brazil in 2023

Do you have any idea which model of plane or helicopter has the highest number flying in Brazil? And which regions concentrate the majority of the Brazilian air fleet?

If you are an aviation lover, I guarantee you will be amazed at the result that our team of aircraft analysts calculated.

Well, as we still don't have data for October and December, which are generally made available by ANAC through the RAB system, we decided to make a comparison from September 2023 to September 2022. So, see how interesting the result is...

I emphasize that all the data presented here were extracted from the ANAC, through the RAB system.

Currently in Brazil there are 10.042 aircraft flying regularly in Brazil, that is, without any abnormality in the Airworthiness Certificate that prevents them from flying, therefore, planes or helicopters are FLYING (of course, stowaways cannot be tracked).

Of this total, the majority are single piston engines, with 4.479, and the smallest number are “single jets”, which evidently, there is only a single model existing in the world and which had its first delivery in 2016, the Cirrus Jet. The twin-engine “jet” planes are in second place, as we cannot forget the TPR planes, that is, those operated by airlines, such as Gol, Azul, Latam, etc.

Well, of the total above, the largest concentration of owners is in the state of São Paulo, followed by Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Goiás.

And as for the model, if at the beginning of this article your thoughts went as far as agricultural aviation, you were right, because Ipanema is the largest fleet in Brazil, with 936 aircraft flying. Then we have the Seneca, Cirrus SR22 and the Baron 58 with their versions (58 and G58).

Now, see how interesting… If we filter the aircraft fleet state by state, between the three champions (SP, MT and MG), we see a list of leading aircraft that is different from the one presented above, when we compare the whole of Brazil.

In São Paulo, the leader continues to be Ipanema, however, Seneca disappears slightly from the list, leaving space for SR22. And for the first time a helicopter appears in the TOP 10, the AS50 (aka Esquilo). Another helicopter is also present in the TOP10, the Leonardo A109.

In the second state with the largest air fleet, we have yet another change of scenery. Follow below.

Unlike SP and throughout Brazil, two agricultural aircraft appear at the top, such as the Ipanema and the Air Tractor series 500. Then come the Seneca, the Baron 58 and the Bonanza 36 (and their versions). Of the helicopters, there are only four R44 and four R66.

In Minas Gerais, the third largest aircraft fleet in Brazil, another different scenario.

This time, no agricultural plane at the top (only the Ipanema in the TOP 10, occupying 5th place). The leader is the Seneca, followed by the R66 turboprop helicopter and the Cessna 172. Interestingly, until September 2023, MG had a CirrusJet.

What about the variation in the air fleet? Can you imagine which fleet grew the most from September 2022 to September 2023 in Brazil?

Quantitatively, that is, in absolute numbers, we see greater movement from Ipanema, followed by the Air Tractor 500 family, King Air 90 series and Piper's M-Class turboprops, such as the Meridian, M500 and M600, which we have already written about here. In this topic, the reference is to new aircraft, recently manufactured, and also used ones, but imported from other countries.

Ipanema had an increase of 24 aircraft from September 2022 to September 2023, the Air Tractor with 19, the King 90 with 17, the M-Class turboprops with 15 and the Cirrus SR22 with 14.

An interesting point to note from the list above is that there are four models that are no longer manufactured, on the list of biggest absolute growth in the year. These are the BE40 (the “jets” better known as the Hawker 400) with an increase of seven, the Citation Mustang with five more in the year, the Cheyenne 2 with five more and the Cessna 210 with four more.

Now internally, that is, without considering recent imports or manufacturing, we have the total number of sales communications in one year. In other words, purchase and sale negotiations within the country. We have the following “ranking”.

Apart from self-made aircraft (ZZZZ) and ultralight aircraft (ULAC), the Seneca and Cessna 182 (aka Skylane) are among the most sold domestically in Brazil from September 2022 to September 2023, followed by the Robinson 44 and the Ipanema.

Note that the list is slightly different from that for fleet growth. In other words, the Seneca, for example, seems to be better to be sold domestically, in Brazil, while the King Air 90 series seems to be better “marketable” abroad, through imports. Does this mean that there is no King Air 90 in Brazil and therefore it needs to be imported? The answer is totally the opposite! As you, dear reader, can see in the second graph we posted here, at the beginning of this article, the King Air 90 series occupy fifth place in of the total number of planes flying in Brazil until September 2023, with 306 items flying regularly. Perhaps the most accurate answer is price, as if the King for sale were poorly priced here, therefore compensating for imports by buyers.

Anyway, from the last list above, Seneca occupies the lead both in sales communications and in the total number of planes flying in Brazil, but we cannot say that it is the best in sales. , the greater the supply, the lower the price... And also because the plane has not been manufactured since 2020, as we have already reported here.

Well, several conclusions can be drawn from this study, however, we will stop here so as not to make this article too long and so as not to lose your attention while reading. But, before the final point, we want to emphasize that this article is a first step towards something big that we at AEROFLAP are working on so that you, our readers, are always aware of the news and especially changes in the aviation market, before everyone else . We are bringing news with content crafted with intelligence, precisely to place AEROFLAP at the top of references and research on aviation, as we know how valuable information can be and the price of its urgency. Stay with us for more in-depth articles like this and to stay up to date with the latest news.

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