Pan Am plans centenary events as relaunch effort continues

Pan American World Airways has set out plans to mark the centenary of its first scheduled flight, with two gatherings scheduled in Miami for October 2027. The first is planned for The Hangar in Coconut Grove on 28 October 2027, with a second at the Marriott Marquis in Miami the following day.

Ed Wegel, chief executive of the organisation pursuing a Pan Am relaunch, said the programme would feature special presentations and celebrity appearances, and invited former and current members of the Pan Am community to take part.

The anniversary dates to 28 October 1927, when Pan Am began a scheduled airmail service between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba, an early international route for the carrier.

Coconut Grove has its own link to the airline's past: the Dinner Key seaplane terminal, now the site of Miami City Hall, played a part in Pan Am's early operations, according to the company.

The celebrations come as the organisation works to return Pan Am as a scheduled commercial airline. In October 2025, AVi8 Air Capital said it had finished a business plan for a possible relaunch and had started the US Federal Aviation Administration certification process. The proposed operation would still need the relevant regulatory approvals before it could begin flying.