Judge Votes in Favor of the Buccaneers, Claiming AeroVanti Didn’t Pay Its Dues

Aviation charter company AeroVanti is adding to its long list of lost lawsuits against sports teams, being forced to hand over $3.4 million to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The case alleges that AeroVanti failed to pay its sponsorship fee.

In December 2022, the Buccaneers announced that AeroVanti would become the team’s exclusive private aviation partner. While the partnership didn’t officially take effect until 2023, the AeroVanti name was immediately placed on the stadium's ribbon boards and tower walls.

"We are excited to welcome AeroVanti as our exclusive private aviation partner," shared Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer. "AeroVanti has distinguished itself by redefining the private aviation membership industry through an innovative approach that has lowered costs and increased access to private travel.”

However, the collaboration seemed not to work out as well as planned. It hit its first public rough patch in June 2023 when AeroVanti ceased flight operations altogether. Though it restarted flights in November 2024, the charter company had other problems: the NFL team claimed that AeroVanti failed to pay for a sponsorship to promote its services.

This led the Buccaneers to file a lawsuit against AeroVanti on March 26, 2025. They set out for $3.4 million and received a stipulation for entry of a consent final judgment in their favor.

Legal drama with sports teams is a major part of AeroVanti’s reputation in the industry. In April 2024, the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team sued the private aviation membership company for failure to pay at least $880,000 in sponsorship and licensing fees. The Chicago Cubs also sought a payout after AeroVanti “left the team holding the bag for a promised sweepstakes that eventually forced the Cubs to pay out a $3 million settlement.”

And, though the incident was not directly tied to the company name, AeroVanti founder Patrick Britton-Harr faced fraud charges from the Department of Justice in 2023. These allegations were related to medical testing companies that Britton-Harr also ran.

FMI: www.buccaneers.com