The airline went out of business in 1991.
A Pan Am 707 (Photo: Shutterstock | Peter Scharkowski)
An iconic airline brand once synonymous with luxurious international travel is eyeing a comeback 34 years after it ceased operations.
Pan Am Global Holdings, which manages the intellectual property rights for the long-defunct Pan American World Airways, announced Thursday that it is exploring options to revive Pan Am as a scheduled commercial airline.
The company is working with aviation merchant bank and consulting firm AVi8 Air Capital to assess the “feasibility, structure, and financial strategy” of a potential relaunch.
“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,” said Craig Carter, CEO of Pan Am Global Holdings. “With its legacy of innovation, service excellence, and global connectivity, Pan Am remains a cherished name in aviation. 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.”
AVi8 said it will assist Pan Am Global Holdings in analyzing various aspects of the airline industry, including market dynamics, fleet strategy, and operational infrastructure.
More details will be released in the coming months, the partners said.
Pan Am, originally founded as Pan American Airways, was for decades the largest international carrier based in the U.S. In the carefully regulated market of the mid-20th century, it enjoyed a near-monopoly on foreign travel, and in exchange, did not fly domestically.
The airline led the industry’s adoption of jet aircraft, which allowed for the launch of longer routes to destinations around the world. It reached the height of its prestige between the 1950s and early 1970s, and its name became synonymous with the glamour of international air travel and high-quality amenities.
A Pan Am Boeing 737 in 1988. (Photo: Guido Allieri, made available through Wikimedia Commons)
Pan Am’s fortunes turned after the oil shock of the ’70s, which hurt demand. Deregulation of the American airline industry under President Jimmy Carter exposed the carrier to new levels of competition, and it struggled to build a domestic network. After years of losses, it filed for bankruptcy in 1991.
Due to its strong brand recognition, the Pan Am name has been reused over the years, including for a short-lived low-cost airline in the late 1990s, nicknamed “Pan Am II.” Fashion brands have also signed agreements to use the name on shirts and watches.
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