The Airbus A220 has further expanded its presence, with Romania’s Animawings receiving its first of the type. The airline had a significant change in its ownership structure not too long ago and has been implementing its growth strategies, which include modernizing its fleet with the likes of new-generation narrowbody planes such as the A220.
Animawings receives its first Airbus A220
Romanian airline Animawings recently welcomed its first Airbus A220-300
aircraft. The acquisition of the plane is part of the deal signed with commercial aircraft lessor Azorra, which has a long-standing relationship with Airbus.
The aircraft was assembled at the Airbus facility in Mirabel, Canada, and arrived in Bucharest on December 16. It is part of Azorra’s firm orderbook with Airbus. John Evans, CEO and Founder, Azorra, commented,
“We are proud to deliver the first new Airbus A220-300 to our friends at AnimaWings, made possible through our strong relationship with Airbus. This marks a significant milestone as the first of its type in Romania. With its unmatched performance and efficiency, this aircraft is perfectly suited to support AnimaWings growth objectives and will play a vital role in the future of aviation in Romania.”
Photo: Animawings
Animawings isn’t the only customer to have benefited from Azorra’s A220. The aircraft leasing firm has now delivered three A220-300s from its firm order book with Airbus to airline customers around the world.
Indeed, the A220 program is steadily expanding as demand for the type is coming from across the world, including Europe, North America, and even Australia. Animawings will receive a total of six A220 from Azorra and has become the first airline in Romania to fly this type and the tenth A220 operator in Europe.
Where will it fly?
Animawings is hoping to expand its offerings with the help of the A220. The airline will deploy the aircraft on its first flight between Bucharest and Dubai on December 27, but there are plenty of other plans lined up for the A220.
The new aircraft will also serve popular international destinations such as Paris, Stockholm, Larnaca, Dubai, Marrakesh, Nice, and Ibiza, as well as domestic routes such as Cluj, Iași, and Oradea. These will be joined by charter flights organized for local tour operators to tourist destinations in Greece, Turkey, Spain, or Portugal during the summer of 2025. Marius Pandel, Animawings shareholder, commented,
“We are delighted to be the first company in Romania to have in its fleet such a modern and spacious aircraft, perfectly suited to our vision as a smart cost company. We plan to be the air operator that connects all major cities of the country and these cities with the most important destinations in Europe and the world, and these aircraft, whose specific configurations were designed for AnimaWings, will ensure the full comfort of our passengers, being a symbol of the respect for the traveler that distinguishes us.”
Plans were revealed earlier this year
The airline had a change in its ownership structure earlier in 2024. In 2021, Greece’s flagship carrier, Aegean Airlines,
increased its shareholding in Animawings from 25% to 51%
. However, there was a divestment of its entire majority shareholding in the Romanian carrier, transferring it to travel firm Memento Group.
This also started a fleet restructuring process that involved Animawings having to return the aircraft leased from Aegean as well as planning to upgrade its fleet with new-generation Airbus narrowbody planes such as the A220 and the A320neo family.
Photo: Jeang Herng | Shutterstock
Marius Pandel commented back then that the management’s goal was to make Animawings “the preferred airline of Romanians – and to keep the standards of Romanian aviation as high as possible.”
Currently, Animawings only has two airplanes in its fleet – the newly acquired A220 and an older A320. The inclusion of the latest Airbus jet definitely aligns with the airline’s plans of modernizing its fleet, as it produces 50% less noise, emits 25% fewer CO2 emissions, and burns 25% less fuel than an older generation aircraft. It is also capable of running on up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
