The first customers have lined up for the proposed next-generation Catalina airship.

The first customers have lined up for the proposed next-generation Catalina airship.

Plans for a modernized turboprop engine version of the iconic Catalina have moved a step closer to reality with the Hong Kong operator signing a letter of intent covering the purchase of up to 46 aircraft from Florida-based Catalina Aircraft Trust.

The Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II concept was officially launched in 2023 by the Catalina Aircraft Trust, which has managed the type certification of the original PBY Catalina for over a decade. Beyond its expertise supporting the operation of the original Catalina aircraft worldwide, the company believes there is a market for new and improved variants based directly on the tried and tested 1930s design.

Flight Global We were the first to report that Pan American Airways System (PAAS), the Hong Kong-based startup that licensed the legendary Pan Am name from Pan American Global Holdings, has announced its intention to purchase up to 46 rebuilt Catalinas from the Catalina Aircraft Trust.

PAAS will initially introduce the Catalina II on planned ultra-luxury flights across Africa, before expanding to include routes to the Caribbean, South America and South Asia. These services take their name from the historic ‘Clipper’, famously used on Pan Am’s transoceanic airship services in the first half of the 20th century, and offer only 10 seats per aircraft, along with a lounge and galley.

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Pan American Airways System has released computer renderings of the aircraft’s interior layout. (Image source: Pan American Airways System)

The company’s official website indicates that the first service flight is scheduled for 2027, but it is unclear how such a schedule will be implemented, as much of the development work on the Catalina II, let alone production, is not yet underway. According to an official press release from the Catalina Aircraft Trust, the airline’s Letter of Intent (LOI) has been “funded.”

The Catalina Aircraft Trust was targeting 2029 for delivery of the Catalina II in 2023. It is unclear whether this has now been pushed back due to delays in receiving interim orders. Flight Global Options for engines, avionics and other flight systems are currently being evaluated by the company, and even initial test flights are expected to still be several years away.

Nonetheless, founder and company president Lawrence Reece said the Catalina II, which is a modification of an existing aircraft type, will likely have a simpler certification process than an entirely new design from scratch.

For military and special missions

Along with niche commercial uses, the Catalina II is targeting military and special mission customers as the benefits of amphibious fixed-wing aircraft are once again being looked at by several countries. Although initially abandoned decades ago as helicopters gained supremacy in the maritime domain, the greater speed, endurance, and airlift capabilities of flying boats and similar amphibious designs in general have been noted as having potential value in future conflicts, particularly in the Pacific.

U.S. military personnel have frequently collaborated with and evaluated Japan’s ShinMaywa US-2 seaplanes. Japan is one of the few countries that never abandoned fixed-wing amphibious aircraft. The U.S. military also considered several new and modified designs to introduce these platforms.

Based on marketing and published renderings, the Catalina Aircraft Trust believes the Catalina II is suitable for search and rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), firefighting and gunship applications. In this regard, it will assume many of the same roles previously assigned to the original PBY Catalina.

The company says the special-mission configured Catalina II can deliver 19 hours of endurance, carry 30 troops or up to 16,000 lbs of internal cargo/equipment, and operate at a wide flight envelope, including speeds as high as 200 knots and as low as 62 knots. Two wing-mounted pylons can each support up to 2,500 lbs of external storage, and if specified by the customer, the integrated landing gear can be removed for additional performance at the cost of losing the flexibility to land on shore.

With only one customer currently on standby (a customer not currently flying any other aircraft), there are still many hurdles to clear on the Catalina II’s path toward operational service. The Catalina Aircraft Trust knows the Catalina airframe and certainly appears to have the expertise to take on this project. The main question that remains is whether more customers will follow suit and put their names on the order book.

Notably, the Catalina Aircraft Trust is actually one of two Florida manufacturers competing to revitalize the Catalina. Vero Beach’s Catalina Aircraft Company is making a more ambitious effort with an inspired clean-sheet design, though not directly based on the original Catalina, labeled the Catalina SPAR.

With its clean design, SPAR can offer more flexibility in terms of customer specifications, including payload ramp and pressurized cabin options. This comes at the cost of requiring an entirely new type of certification from regulators.

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