Pacific Airlift

What Pacific Airlift does

Pacific Airlift, Inc. is a privately held California corporation that specializes in air transportation of livestock between the US mainland and Hawaii. Founded in the late 1950s by stockmen Bill Eby and Bill Verdugo, the company currently operates bi-monthly round-trip flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) using 747 aircraft, with each shipment capped at twelve horses. Since the early 1990s the operation has been led by Vince Genco, who joined in 1973 after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in animal science. The core service portfolio centers on horses and cattle, though the company also transports other livestock species including elk, llamas, sheep, goats, alpacas, and buffalo.

Revenue is generated primarily through per-head transportation fees, with published pricing of approximately $3,050-$3,250 per horse westbound (including fuel surcharge) and volume discounts for multi-horse shipments. Ancillary revenue streams include layover barn boarding at $45/day and vanning services at $350 to/from LAX, both operated through a partnership with Winning Ways in Riverside, California. Ground handling at LAX and HNL is coordinated through Pacific Air Cargo. The company addresses a specific niche: the relatively small population of horse owners, equestrian competitors, and cattle ranchers who require reliable, humane, and regulator-compliant transport across the Pacific, navigating Hawaii's strict animal import requirements.

The business operates with minimal digital infrastructure: no mobile app, no API, and customer acquisition relies on direct phone/email contact and long-standing word-of-mouth reputation within Hawaii's ranching and equestrian communities. The company holds no disclosed patents, has no funding rounds, and remains independently owned with no parent company or private equity involvement. KOA (Kona) flights are currently suspended, narrowing the active route to the LAX-HNL corridor.

Name

Pacific Airlift

Legal name

Pacific Airlift, Inc.

Website

https://pacificairlift.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Airlift, Inc. is a privately held California livestock air transporter operating bi-monthly 747 flights between LAX and Honolulu, serving horse owners, equestrians, and cattle ranchers needing Pacific-crossing transport for their animals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Air Transportation

NAICS

Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Animals & Perishables Air Cargo Carriers (TLADAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Heavy-Lift / Outsize Air Cargo Carriers (TLADAAAF)

Keywords

• Livestock air transport
• Horse air transportation
• Cattle air shipping
• Animal air freight
• 747 livestock charter

Headquarters

HQ city

Clovis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Livestock Air Transportation: Per-horse transportation fees for shipping horses and cattle between Los Angeles (LAX) and Honolulu (HNL). Pricing varies by direction (westbound vs eastbound) and number of horses shipped, with volume discounts available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Pacific Airlift provides award-winning, humane air transportation of horses, cattle, and other livestock between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) using a 747 aircraft on a bi-monthly scheduled shuttle service. Each shipment accommodates a maximum of 12 horses and is accompanied by an experienced veterinarian and livestock handlers, with optional layover barn boarding and vanning services in Riverside, CA.

Product overview

Pacific Airlift operates as a livestock air transport specialist offering a unified service portfolio centered on horse and cattle transportation between California and Hawaii. The core offering is the Horse Air Transport Service, utilizing 747 aircraft for bi-monthly bi-directional flights between LAX and HNL. Supporting services include Cattle Air Transport (on-demand), and Layover Barn and Vanning Services (add-on board and transport to/from the Riverside facility). The company also provides specialty transport for other livestock species. All services include experienced veterinarian and livestock handler accompaniment, with a maximum of twelve horses per shipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Horse Air Transport Service Award-winning, humane air transportation service for horses between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Honolulu International Airport (HNL), operating bi-monthly round trips via 747 aircraft with a maximum of 12 horses per shipment and accompaniment by an experienced veterinarian and livestock handlers.
• Cattle Air Transport Service Air transportation service for cattle to and from Hawaii, offered on an as-needed basis between LAX and HNL, positioned as competitive with ocean shipping rates when factoring in transit time, shrink, and injury prevention.
• Layover Barn Boarding and Vanning Service Boarding and vanning services at the Winning Ways layover barn in Riverside, CA, including overnight boarding at $45/day and vanning to/from LAX at $350 per horse, allowing horses to rest 24 hours before the flight and on-board veterinarian services for Hawaii health certificate processing.
• Other Livestock Transport Service Air transport services for various livestock species beyond horses and cattle, including elk, llamas, hogs, sheep, goats, cats, dogs, birds, monkeys, alpacas, and buffalo, handled on an as-needed basis using the same 747 aircraft and experienced livestock handlers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maximum 12 horses per shipment ensures personalized attention and care
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Winning Ways (Layover Barn)coreOthersPartnership with Winning Ways layover barn in Riverside, CA (3536 Lindsay Street). Provides boarding at $45/day and vanning services at $350 to/from LAX. Horses can rest at the facility 24 hours before flight. Vet services available for health certificate processing.
• Pacific Air CargominorOthersWorks with Pacific Air Cargo at LAX and HNL for cargo handling operations. Contact in California: (310) 645-2178. Contact in Hawaii: (808) 834-7977. They handle loading and unloading at the airports.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KLM Cargo: Major air cargo carrier with industry-leading expertise in transporting live animals, especially horses (IATA LAR certified). Comparable live animal transport capability and welfare focus but at global commercial scale with broad customer base.
• Atlas Air: World's largest operator of 747 freighters providing charter and scheduled air cargo services. Comparable in 747-based air cargo operations including outsized and specialized cargo, though serving broad freight categories beyond livestock.
• Etihad Cargo: Major cargo carrier with recognized expertise in live animal transport, particularly horses and valuable breeding stock. Comparable business model focused on premium equine air transport with high service standards and IATA-certified handling.
• Cargolux: Specialist cargo airline with strong expertise in transporting unusual cargo including live animals and heavyweight freight. Comparable capability in specialized air cargo with focus on outsized and welfare-sensitive shipments across global routes.
• Pacific Air Cargo: Scheduled cargo airline operating between the US mainland and Hawaii. Pacific Airlift already partners with them for ground handling at LAX and HNL; broader cargo portfolio with overlapping route network but no livestock specialization.
• AirBridgeCargo: International cargo airline with strong expertise in transporting live animals and special cargo via dedicated Animal Care products. Comparable in live animal air transport capabilities though with global reach rather than a single-route niche focus.
• Lufthansa Cargo: Major air cargo carrier with established live animal and special cargo expertise, particularly for horses and zoo animals via its dedicated animal lounge. Comparable in specialized live animal transport operations but with global route network.

Direct peers

• Jacson Equestrian: UK-based specialist in horse air transport, particularly between the UK and global equestrian competition destinations. Comparable niche focus on equine air transport with strict welfare standards and specialized in-flight handling.
• IRT (International Racehorse Transport): Global specialist in horse air transportation serving the international racehorse industry across continents. Direct peer with comparable niche focus on equine air transport with veterinarian accompaniment and welfare-focused operations, though operating at global rather than Hawaii-focused scale.
• Mersant International: US-based specialist in international horse air transportation, particularly between North America and European competition venues. Comparable niche focus on humane equine air transport with full-service logistics including ground transport and quarantine coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pacairus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Airlift