The team behind the resurrection of one of aviation’s most iconic brands, Pan Am, has taken a significant step forward with the airline’s potential revival.
On October 9, 2025, AVi8 Air Capital, which has partnered up with Pan Am Brands to relaunch the carrier, announced that it had initiated formalities with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to certify the airline.
AVi8 Air Capital said the goal is to reestablish Pan Am as a US Part 121 scheduled carrier, subject to all FAA and US Department of Transportation (DOT) approvals.
“Avi8 has assembled a world-class team to lead the certification effort and has received strong initial support from aircraft lessors and key vendors,” said a spokesperson for AVi8 Air Capital.
Separately, the company added that it had successfully completed its comprehensive business plan for the potential relaunch.
If the launch is successful, Pan Am will be headquartered in Miami, operating a fleet of Airbus aircraft.
“Further updates on the certification process and other milestones will be shared in the coming months,” added the spokesperson.
In June 2025, Pan Am Brands, a division of Pan American Global Holdings, and Avi8 Air Capital announced a strategic partnership to evaluate the feasibility of reintroducing Pan Am as a scheduled commercial airline.
At the time, Craig Carter, CEO of Pan Am Global Holdings, said: “We are excited to partner with AVi8 to explore how best to bring the Pan Am brand back to the skies as a scheduled commercial airline. With its legacy of innovation, service excellence, and global connectivity, Pan Am remains a cherished name in aviation.”
He added: “Through this collaboration, we aim to assess a sustainable and forward-thinking approach to reintroducing scheduled commercial service under the Pan Am name – one that not only honors its legacy but also makes the Pan Am experience more accessible.”
As part of the process, Avi8 Air Capital is analyzing key market dynamics, fleet strategy and operational infrastructure, conducting the financial planning necessary to reestablish Pan Am as a viable commercial carrier.
8 comments
It is an extremely Plausible undertaking of Avi8 to Re-Launch Pan Am. It will no doubt make innumerable Aviation Enthusiasts jump out of their prams to see an Icon Pan Am gracing the skies again. In yester years Pan Am was the only Airlinne that did the Scheduled Round The World Service. I flew once on it from London Heathrow-Frankfurt-Tehran-New Delhi
Bring us back the glorious American “Jet Clipper” Dream that once soared through the skies of the world…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
This resurrection of such an iconic brand as PanAm should be subsidised to also have a fleet of iconic Boeing Aircraft (Queen of the Skies) not Airbus – regardless if they are manufactured in the USA or not.
PAN AM Welcome back. Best Wishes.
Pan Am under Guilford Railways was unable to resurrect the Pan Am brand once before. 90% of the traveling public know nothing of the Pan Am legacy and legendary service. They are just going to be another attempt capitalize on a name that the majority of the public no nothing about. Also, a premium service airline in this day and age is a dead as a dodo bird.
Eitahad, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines would tend to disagree that ultra luxury service airlines are dead
I been wondering about the comeback
Pan Am was a pioneer that spanned the Globe; at its height it served 81 countries and the only place it didn’t fly to was Antarctica. Founded in 1927, it quickly spread all over the Caribbean and Central and South America; the in 1935 (90 years from now) it conquered the Pacific. This was the single major feat in commercial aviation. Then the North Atlantic, the superb contribution to the USA’s WWII activities, the introduction of the Rainbow Fares, which made air travel affordable for the first time, the Round the World Service, the introduction of the first US made jets (Boeing 707 and Douglas DC8), the genesis of the gigantic and magnificent Boeing 747 (Bill Allen-Boeing CEO-to Juan Trippe- Pan Am CEO: “Juan, if you buy it, I’ll build it”. Trippe to Allen: “Bill, if you build it, I’ll buy it”). At some point it was called “The Chosen Instrument” and was the unofficial branch of the State Department as commercial aviation issues were concerned. Bad luck, the denial of domestic routes, and finally terrorism killed it. Let it rest in peace. There is no way that a smallish, third level carrier can pretend to properly carry that once magnificent name.