The Brazilian agricultural aviation fleet sported 2,115 aircraft in 2017, 1.5% more than in 2016. Over the last ten years, growth stands at an impressive 46.2%. Brazil now lags behind only the United States, which has 3,600 agricultural aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The data was presented by the National Agricultural Aviation Companies Union, compiled from information gathered from the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry (RAB) of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).
Of the total aircraft, 2,108 are airplanes and seven are helicopters. Mato Grosso is the state with the largest fleet: 464 aircraft, followed by Rio Grande do Sul (427) and São Paulo (312). Minas Gerais was the state that saw the highest growth (15.5%), from 71 aircraft in 2016 to 82 last year.
Agricultural fleets are used for the ap-plication of fertilisers, sowing and for the treatment of crops. They also make it easier to apply chemicals and can help firefighting.