Brazil’s Flapper acquires Black; launches fractional programme
Brazilian on-demand private jet charter marketplace Flapper has announced the acquisition of air carrier Black Táxi Aéreo in an all-cash deal while launching a fractional ownership division.
The acquisition positions Flapper, combined with Black’s fleet and facilities, as one of the country’s largest air charter providers and projects annual revenues to reach $20m over the next 12 months.
Responding to questions from CJI, Paul Malicki, CEO and founder of Flapper said the acquisition will help the company: “Run own operations focused on fractional, air charter and aircraft management for clients who would otherwise not choose Flapper’s on-demand service.”
Flapper said this integration will help the company better serve locally based ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), as well as the international brokers.
“Our commitment to democratising access to business aviation remains unwavering, and we are proud to have partnered with an operator that boasts impeccable safety ratings and modern infrastructure in a key Brazilian hub,” said Malicki added.
Rafael Matos, founder of Black Táxi Aéreo, will assume the role of head of aviation at Flapper’s new Aircraft Management and Fractional Ownership Division. Flapper said it will add Gulfstream GIV-SP jet owned by Flapper’s majority shareholder in last quarter of 2025. This will complement two Hawker 400 jets under Black’s air operator certificate (AOC) and five aircraft under management.
By year-end, the combined AOC is expected to include five aircraft directly under operation.
Flapper said that the company’s technology division will remain unaffected with steady growth expected for its digital marketplace. The company projects 500,000 downloads of its mobile private jet booking app by year-end.
The Brazilian air charter marketplace currently lists more than 4,000 aircraft for on-demand charter, including over 1,500 in Latin America. Nearly two-thirds of the company’s revenue comes from Latin America with Brazil as its largest single market.
“Based on our data Brazil was one of the fastest growing markets globally in the last five years, together with the UAE. The growth is driven by a number of factors, including increase in wealth, new business models, simplification of rules by Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) and fleet renewals,” Malicki told CJI.
Flapper said Legacy 600/650, Gulfstream GV/G550, and Global Express/XRS were the most chartered aircraft in 2024 while Eurocopter AS350, Grand Caravan and King Air B200 led in flight volumes.
The company relies on helicopters and turboprops for regional connectivity.
In September, Flapper will provide transfers via helicopters to major São Paulo events, including The Town and the NFL São Paulo game.
