On demand charter platform Flapper has become a Wyvern Certified Broker, and as such is the first company of its kind in Brazil to be in compliance with the association's safety requirements. Local air taxi operator Líder Aviação had previously joined the list.

The membership process was a consequence of nearly four years of safety-focused operations and data-driven decision making for the company. CEO Paul Malicki explains: “For us, safety means two things: culture and data. The ultimate objective is to create a mindset in our organisation, where all flights are accompanied by appropriate safety processes, based on the information we gather about each aircraft, operator, route, airport or pilot.”

Flapper works with around 350 of the more than 450 Part 135-certified helicopters and aircraft in the country and it emphasises the key role of partnerships with air taxi operators. In the last 12 months, it has chartered aircraft belonging to more than 40 safety-vetted providers and it has selected just two operators, each with good safety records, for scheduled pay-per-seat flights.

The Latin American region currently boasts six Wyvern-certified operators, including four in Mexico, one in Argentina and one in Brazil. Wyvern membership programme manager Gina Herlihy says: “This further establishes the global Wyvern safety footprint as we partner with companies in Latin America.”

Over the coming months, Flapper intends to integrate with the API of ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil) so as to allow users of its mobile app to access real-time safety information about each operator and aircraft.