Helicopter to Búzios
About 48 minutes from Rio to the Búzios peninsula, landing at the Umberto Modiano aerodrome. Flight times, the aerodrome's rules and what a private helicopter costs.
- From Rio
- About 48 min
- Lands at
- Umberto Modiano (SSBZ)
- Runway
- 1,300 m
- Private hire
- R$8.070 to R$23.550/hr
Flying to Búzios
About 48 minutes, in Flapper's example of an Airbus AS350 B2 carrying up to five passengers. Helicopters land at Umberto Modiano aerodrome (SSBZ, formerly SBBZ), a private aerodrome in Armação dos Búzios, where take-offs need prior coordination with the Aldeia approach unit. A private helicopter typically costs R$8.070 to R$23.550 per flight hour.
Búzios sits on a peninsula in the Região dos Lagos, east of Rio, and the helicopter replaces the road trip with under an hour in the air.
Flapper recommends the trip by helicopter. Private helicopters leave from the Lagoa city heliport, Jacarepaguá, Santos Dumont or Galeão.
The aerodrome is private, take-offs are coordinated in advance with the Aldeia approach unit, and its traffic circuit is kept tight because of a nearby restricted area.
For a larger group, compare private jets from Rio de Janeiro.
Sources:Flapper: insights on executive aviation in Rio de JaneiroDECEA AISWEB: Umberto Modiano, Búzios (SSBZ, formerly SBBZ), checked 19 October 2026
Helicopter flights to Búzios
- Flight time
- About 48 min
- Example helicopter
- Airbus AS350 B2, up to 5 passengers
- Price
- R$8.070 to R$23.550 per flight hour as a guide
- Flight time
- About 60 min
- Example helicopter
- Robinson R44 II, up to 3 passengers
- Price
- R$8.070 to R$23.550 per flight hour as a guide
Flight times and examples published by Flapper, checked 19 October 2026. Positioning and waiting time are added to a private quote.
Sources:Flapper: insights on executive aviation in Rio de Janeiro
Tell us the dates and passengers. A specialist replies with aircraft options and an all-in price, around the clock.
Umberto Modiano aerodrome (SSBZ)
- A private aerodrome in Armação dos Búzios with an asphalt runway, 08/26, 1,300 m by 30 m. Its code changed from SBBZ to SSBZ.
- The AISWEB record lists 08:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 18:00 at weekends, with other times on request by phone.
- Take-offs need prior coordination with the Aldeia approach unit (APP Aldeia) by phone.
- The traffic circuit is flown on the south side only and kept within 1.4 nm of the runway centreline, because of the nearby restricted area SBR 305.
- Vultures gather at the end of runway 08.
- Landing anywhere else on the peninsula needs a site registered with ANAC, or the operator's own assessment under its rules for unregistered sites.
Sources:DECEA AISWEB: Umberto Modiano, Búzios (SSBZ, formerly SBBZ), checked 19 October 2026ANAC: RBAC 91, Emenda 08, issued 2 October 2026ANAC: RBAC 135, Emenda 15, in force 9 January 2026
Where Búzios flights leave Rio
Zona Sul, 08:00 to 20:00, for helicopters up to 16 m or 5,000 kg.
Barra da Tijuca, 05:00 to 22:00, with parking requested 24 hours ahead.
Usable by air taxi helicopters by day and by night, to meet a jet.
Sources:DECEA AISWEB: Heliponto Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Lagoa (SDRJ), checked 19 October 2026DECEA AISWEB: Jacarepaguá (SBJR) aerodrome record, checked 19 October 2026Flapper: insights on executive aviation in Rio de Janeiro
ANAC, DECEA and where a helicopter may land
ANAC, the National Civil Aviation Agency, writes the operating rules; DECEA, the air force's airspace department, publishes each aerodrome's record and charts on AISWEB.
- A paid flight must be flown by an operator ANAC has authorised for air taxi work. RBAC 135 governs these operations and covers helicopters of any size.
- Check the operator's name on ANAC's published list of air operators. Altivo Jets is a broker and names the operator and its ANAC authorisation before you book.
- RBAC 91 allows a Brazilian aerodrome to be used only if it is registered (cadastrado) with ANAC and the operator judges it suitable for the aircraft and the flight.
- Helicopter landings away from registered sites have their own sections: 91.329 in RBAC 91 and 135.229 in RBAC 135. An off-site landing is the operator's call under those rules, made site by site.
- RBAC 155, in force since 1 March 2024 (Emenda 01), sets design and operating standards for helipads. It is mandatory for public helipads and for elevated private ones, and recommended for private pads at ground level.
- Helipad operators must keep their details current with ANAC and in the aeronautical information service, so each pad's hours and limits appear in its AISWEB record.
Sources:ANAC: RBAC 135, Emenda 15, in force 9 January 2026ANAC open data: Brazilian air operators, including air taxiANAC: RBAC 91, Emenda 08, issued 2 October 2026ANAC: RBAC 155 Helipontos, Emenda 01, in force 1 March 2024
What goes into a helicopter price
You charter the whole helicopter and its pilot, so a private flight is priced per trip, not per seat.
- Flying time at the hourly rate for the type: as a guide, R$8.070 to R$23.550 per flight hour for the whole helicopter.
- Positioning when the helicopter is based away from your pickup point, both to reach you and to fly home.
- Landing, parking and handling charges at the heliport or airport, which vary by site and are set out on your quote.
- Waiting time if the helicopter holds for you during the day, or an overnight stay for the crew.
- Shared tours are sold per seat instead: in Rio, Helisight's shortest flight is R$640 per person.
Sources:Helisight: Rio de Janeiro helicopter tours and prices, checked 19 October 2026
Weather and daylight
- RBAC 135 sets visual flight requirements for helicopter air taxi flights, including visual reference with the surface (section 135.207), so low cloud or poor visibility on the route can hold or cancel a flight.
- Several landing sites close at night: Angra dos Reis aerodrome is open in daylight only, and the Lagoa city heliport in Rio runs from 08:00 to 20:00.
- Allow a weather margin either side of a fixed commitment such as a flight connection or a wedding.
Sources:ANAC: RBAC 135, Emenda 15, in force 9 January 2026DECEA AISWEB: Angra dos Reis (SDAG) aerodrome record, checked 19 October 2026DECEA AISWEB: Heliponto Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Lagoa (SDRJ), checked 19 October 2026
Helicopters for Búzios
Single-engine Airbus types of the AS350 family fly most transfers; twins suit larger groups.
Airbus H125 / AS350 Ecureuil
95 on charter in Brazil. AS350 family; Flapper's Búzios example is an AS350 B2
Operators for Búzios
Air taxi operators authorised by ANAC under RBAC 135, based in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro. Airbus H125 and H135
Rio de Janeiro. EC120, H125 and Robinson R44
Rio de Janeiro. Airbus H125 and Bell JetRanger
Rio de Janeiro. AS355, AS365, H125 and Bell types
Rio de Janeiro. Leonardo AW139 and Sikorsky S-76
Sources:ANAC open data: Brazilian air operators, including air taxi
Questions, answered
Still deciding? A charter specialist will talk you through aircraft, airports and price, with no obligation.
Ask a specialistHow long is the helicopter from Rio to Búzios?+
About 48 minutes in an Airbus AS350 B2 carrying up to five passengers.
Where do helicopters land in Búzios?+
At Umberto Modiano aerodrome (SSBZ), a private aerodrome with a 1,300 m runway, or at a helipad registered with ANAC.
Is the Búzios aerodrome open every day?+
Its record lists 08:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 18:00 at weekends, with other times on request by phone. Take-offs are coordinated with APP Aldeia.
How much is a helicopter to Búzios?+
As a guide, R$8.070 to R$23.550 per flight hour for the whole helicopter, plus positioning and waiting time.
Can I fly from Búzios to Angra dos Reis?+
Yes, as a private charter. Rio to Angra alone takes about an hour.
Fares, dates and rules on this page were checked on 19 October 2026. Official fares and schedules change every season; the operator or authority named in each source has the final word.
- 1.Flapper: insights on executive aviation in Rio de Janeiro
- 2.DECEA AISWEB: Umberto Modiano, Búzios (SSBZ, formerly SBBZ), checked 19 October 2026
- 3.ANAC: RBAC 91, Emenda 08, issued 2 October 2026
- 4.ANAC: RBAC 135, Emenda 15, in force 9 January 2026
- 5.DECEA AISWEB: Heliponto Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Lagoa (SDRJ), checked 19 October 2026
- 6.DECEA AISWEB: Jacarepaguá (SBJR) aerodrome record, checked 19 October 2026
- 7.ANAC open data: Brazilian air operators, including air taxi
- 8.ANAC: RBAC 155 Helipontos, Emenda 01, in force 1 March 2024
- 9.Helisight: Rio de Janeiro helicopter tours and prices, checked 19 October 2026
- 10.DECEA AISWEB: Angra dos Reis (SDAG) aerodrome record, checked 19 October 2026
Trade the coast road for 48 minutes.
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