Flapper (company)
Flapper is a vehicle for hire company headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Flapper operates a private aviation marketplace which provides per-seat bookings as well as whole aircraft charters.
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1, 2016 in São Paulo, Brazil |
| Founders | Sergey Terentyev, Arthur Virzin, Iago Senefonte, William Oliveira, Paul Malicki |
| Headquarters | Belo Horizonte , Brazil |
Area served | Brazil |
Key people | |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Company history
Flapper was established in early 2016.[2] The idea of an "Uber of Executive Aviation" was conceived of by Sergey Terentyev (CEO Qiwi), Arthur Vizin, Iago Senefonte, and William Oliveira, all employees of NASDAQ listed fintech Qiwi, who together founded the company with CEO Paul Malicki.[3]
Brazilian startup accelerator ACE was the first to inject resources into Flapper, and in the middle of 2018 other investors, including Brazilian fund manager Confrapar, led its seed investment.[3] As of December 2018, the company has accrued R$4 million in funding.[4]
Operations
Booking platform
A passenger can book a seat through a smartphone app, which also enables users to charter an entire plane or helicopter on demand.[2][1] Users select their departure and destination, number of seats, travel time and the best time for flights. Users can also check each aircraft's certificates of airworthiness and maintenance, verify their aeronautical and civil liability insurance, and verify each company's certification by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil.[5]
In mid-2018, Malicki reported that Flapper’s per-seat booking revenue on shared flights provided about 50 percent of its revenue at that time, with charters providing the rest. Flapper generates about 80 percent of its revenue from its mobile-device app.[6]
Future plans
In October 2018 it was reported that Flapper is planning on adding electric helicopters to its flight sharing service, predicted to begin in 2021. [9]
References
- Infante, Maisa (April 23, 2019). "A Flapper permite fretar jatos executivos e comprar assentos em voos compartilhados. Tudo pelo app" [Flapper lets you charter executive jets and buy seats on shared flights. All by app.]. Draft Academia (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- Freitas, Tainá (June 14, 2018). "Startup de aviação levanta R$ 3 milhões para fazer VOCÊ andar de jatinho" [Aviation startup raises $3 million to make YOU ride a jet]. StartSe (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- Faustino, Rafael (April 1, 2018). ""Uber da Aviação Executiva", Startup Brasileira Expande Serviço e Atrai Investimentos" ["Uber of Executive Aviation", Brazilian Startup Expands Service and Attracts Investments]. Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- Renner, Maurício (July 12, 2018). "Flapper Oferece Concur para Clientes" [Flapper Offers Concur for Clients]. Baguete (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- Piva, Naiady (February 21, 2018). """Uber dos jatinhos": aplicativo cai no gosto dos famosos e da classe média alta" ["Uber of Jets" App Loved by the Famous and the Upper Middle Class]. Gazeta do Povo (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- Kjelgaard, Chris (August 10, 2018). "Flapper Technologies Plans Online Booking Expansion". AINOnline. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- Figo, Anderson (August 31, 2018). "'Uber dos Jatinhos Privados Libera Parcelamento em Voos Compartilhados" [Uber of Private Jets Enables Installments on Shared Flights]. Exame (in Portuguese). Abril Midia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Uber de jatinhos lança 10 novos destinos para o Réveillon" [Uber of Jets launches 10 new destinations for New Year's Eve]. Cartão de Visita News (in Portuguese). November 30, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- Paiva, Fernando (October 30, 2018). "Flapper: app quer democratizar voos privados no Brasil" [Flapper plans to offer electric helicopter flights in Brazil]. Mobile Time (in Portuguese). Mobile Time. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
