In a stirring tribute to the golden age of air travel, Pan Am returned to Shannon Airport for the first time in three decades. On 25 June at 12:21 p.m. local time, a Boeing 757-23N—bearing the iconic Pan Am livery and christened Yankee Clipper II—touched down on Irish soil, evoking memories of transatlantic glamour and aviation firsts.
Operated by Icelandair as flight ICE1331 from London Stansted, the aircraft (registration TF-FIC, msn 30735) was part of a unique private charter experience known as Tracing the Transatlantic. The exclusive journey, reserved for just 50 passengers, retraced elements of Pan American World Airways’ historic flying boat routes across the Atlantic, making stops in New York, Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London Stansted, and finally Shannon—specifically, Foynes, the spiritual birthplace of Irish transatlantic aviation.
Two days later, on 27 June, Yankee Clipper II departed Shannon for New York JFK under the nostalgic call sign “Clipper 101,” lifting off at 12:18 p.m. and landing at 1:54 p.m. local time in New York, just as Pan Am jets once did during the airline’s heyday from Shannon Airport.
The highlight of the visit came on the evening of Thursday, 26 June, when passengers were honored at the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, the very site where Pan Am inaugurated its first commercial transatlantic flights in 1939. A private function and gala dinner paid homage to Pan Am’s legacy of luxury and innovation. Guests were invited to “step into the romance and elegance of the golden age of travel,” with vintage ambiance, curated exhibits, and tales of Pan Am’s pioneering routes brought vividly to life.
Pan Am Journeys by Private Air is a signature collection of luxury travel experiences operated under official license from Pan American World Airways. The program is a collaboration between Bartelings, a global specialist in private aircraft tours, and Criterion Travel, a seasoned U.S.-based tour operator known for educational and affinity-based programs.
Image Credit: Foynes Flying Boat Museum/ Margaret O’Shaughnessy
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 12 July 2025 All Rights Reserved