A new standard for flights to London: AnimaWings launches the Bucharest – Gatwick route with full-service offering and ultra-modern fleet
07/04/2026 by Animawings / News
AnimaWings, a 100% Romanian full-service airline, officially launches the only direct connection between Bucharest and London Gatwick Airport, offering fast access to one of the United Kingdom’s most important aviation hubs and a key destination for Romanians abroad, with quick connections to central London and southern England.
Scheduled flights are operated starting March 22, 2026, with year-round service.
Full-service onboard experience for Bucharest – London (Gatwick) flights
The Bucharest – London (Gatwick) route is operated by AnimaWings with six weekly flights throughout the year, except Saturdays. The schedule is designed for both business and leisure travel, including morning departures (Tuesday and Thursday) and evening departures (Monday, Friday and Sunday), with an average flight time of approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes each way.
Passengers benefit from a full-service onboard experience, with Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class options available. All tickets include seat selection, an 8 kg cabin bag and a 4 kg personal item. Flights are operated with modern Airbus A220-300 aircraft, either in a 148-seat all-Economy configuration or a 137-seat layout (12 Business and 125 Economy), featuring a dedicated business cabin and recently introduced into the company’s fleet.
“London is one of the most important markets for Romania, whether we are talking about business travel, diaspora or tourism. At the same time, the United Kingdom represents one of Romania’s largest air traffic markets, supported by one of the largest Romanian communities in Europe. Until now, flight options have mainly focused on secondary airports, with limited alternatives for passengers seeking comfort and predictability. By launching the Gatwick route, we are effectively opening a new gateway to London through a major, well-connected airport that is far more efficient for the business segment.
We are currently the only airline operating this route directly from Romania and aim to build a premium, full-service alternative to the low-cost model, offering a superior travel experience, competitive fares and a modern Airbus A220-300 fleet. We see significant growth potential and plan to expand frequencies, including from other cities in Romania, as we continue to develop our operations and fleet. We strongly believe that Romanians, as well as foreign tourists visiting Romania, need a wider range of flight options rather than being limited to basic services and secondary airports. We also aim to grow the British inbound tourism segment to Romania, which has shown increasing interest in our country in recent years. The extensive experience of our group in tourism helps us access this incoming segment as well,” said Marius Pandel, CEO of AnimaWings.
Jonny Macneal, Head of Aviation Development, London Gatwick Airport, stated:
“London Gatwick Airport is proud to welcome AnimaWings as a new airline partner. Bucharest is a growing destination, and the launch of this route brings even more options for passengers as we approach the summer season, one of the busiest times of the year. We look forward to building a strong and successful partnership as the airline begins its UK operations.”
London Gatwick Airport offers fast and efficient connections to the city center. Travel time to the Big Ben area is approximately 50 minutes using train and Underground connections. By comparison, transfers from Luton Airport exceed 80 minutes and require bus and Underground connections. The link to Victoria Station, one of London’s main railway hubs, is even faster: the direct train from Gatwick takes around 30 minutes, from Heathrow approximately 50 minutes, while transfers from Luton — currently the London airport with the highest number of flights to and from Romania — take over 90 minutes.
AnimaWings currently operates scheduled flights to major European airports with consistent frequencies. In addition to established destinations such as Paris (CDG), Stockholm (Arlanda) and Istanbul (IST), the Romanian airline will launch new direct flights in the coming months from Bucharest to major European cities including Geneva (from March 30), Munich (from April 2) and Milan Malpensa (from May 11), as well as from Timișoara and Cluj to Athens (starting April 5).
