Prime You – South America’s largest company for sharing airplanes, helicopters, boats, properties and sports cars – is expanding its fleet of aircraft authorized to operate as air taxis, and is now making an Esquilo AS 350 B3E available for this operation. The aircraft, which is already part of the company’s sharing model, was certified by ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency) on February 07, and is now also available for charter.
The Esquilo helicopter meets the growing demand for smaller, more cost-effective aircraft for faster routes, especially within large urban centers such as the city of São Paulo.
“We are incorporating an aircraft that will serve customers looking for safe and comfortable aircraft for shorter flights, such as trips within the capital or between São Paulo and the interior of São Paulo or the coast, with an excellent cost-benefit ratio”, says Vanessa Baddini, manager of Prime You's air taxi operations.
She notes that the rental cost of the single-turbine model, compared to a twin-turbine, can be up to 50% lower, in addition to having all of Prime You's operational safety.
The Esquilo AS 350 B3E is a lightweight single-engine aircraft that seats up to five engers and offers the best use of space, as well as great comfort due to its low noise and vibration levels. It can reach a cruising speed of 231 km and has the range to fly from São Paulo to destinations such as Angra dos Reis, Paraty and Campos do Jordão. It is also an aircraft whose safety has led institutions such as the Águia group of the Military Police to choose to use it regularly.
“The demand for this type of aircraft is high, both for business and leisure travel. On the other hand, the supply of Esquilo helicopters to operate as air taxis is limited, which makes operating with this aircraft even more interesting,” adds Vanessa.
She points out that the fact that the aircraft are part of Prime You's shared fleet brings benefits to air taxi service customers, as they now have access to excellent quality aircraft, operated to a standard. It is also advantageous for the shareholders, who are the owners of the helicopter, as the revenue from the charter is used to reduce operating costs.
“By combining the use of assets sold under the shared ownership model with charter services, Prime You has been guaranteeing to the unitholders who own the assets a strong optimization in the use of the aircraft and, consequently, a sharp reduction in operating costs”, highlights Rodolfo Costa, aviation director at Prime You, ing that, in general, aircraft that are part of a sharing program have a certain amount of idle use.
By offering the charter service, Prime You guarantees the use of aircraft during periods when they would otherwise be idle, and ensures the dilution of costs with hangarage, crew and insurance, among others. “This is a safe and transparent way of operating, which does not compromise the availability of aircraft for owners,” emphasizes Costa.
With the approval, Prime You now has five aircraft certified to operate as air taxis: two Phenom 300s, one Agusta, one Legacy 650 and, now, the AS350 B3E (Esquilo). In 2020, the company was the first company in the Brazilian aircraft fractional ownership market to be authorized by ANAC to offer air taxi services. It was also the first Brazilian fractional aircraft operator to receive RBAC 91/Subpart K certification from ANAC, to operate with fractional ownership of aircraft, in July 2022.
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