AnimaWings launches its first-ever direct flights from Cluj-Napoca to Athens and expands its Transylvania network for the Summer 2026 season.
09/04/2026 by Animawings / News
AnimaWings, a 100% Romanian full-service airline, continues expanding its scheduled route network and officially inaugurates the direct Cluj-Napoca – Athens route, offering passengers from Transylvania fast access to one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations and a major hub for connections to the Greek islands.
The first flight on the Cluj-Napoca – Athens route took place on April 5, 2026, with year-round operations. Additional direct flights from the heart of Transylvania to Greece will launch in June for the summer season: Cluj – Thessaloniki starting June 2, with two direct flights per week, followed by Cluj – Zakynthos from June 5, operating once weekly.
Full-service experience on board Cluj-Napoca – Athens flights
The Athens route is operated twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays, with morning departure times optimized for both business travelers and the leisure segment. The average flight time is approximately 2 hours each way.
The flight schedule is designed to allow easy access to Athens’ connection network, giving passengers the opportunity to continue their journey to numerous destinations in Greece, including the Aegean islands, on the same day.
Passengers benefit from a full-service onboard experience, with Premium Economy and Economy Class travel options. All tickets include free seat selection, one 8 kg cabin bag, and one 4 kg personal item. Flights are operated with modern Airbus A220-300 aircraft, in a full economy configuration of 148 seats, recently added to the AnimaWings fleet and scheduled to be allocated to regional bases in Romania in the coming seasons.
Mr. Marius Pandel, CEO of AnimaWings, stated: “The launch of the direct Cluj-Napoca – Athens route responds to the growing demand from Transylvania for destinations in Greece, both for business travel and for city breaks or holidays. Athens becomes a strategic point for both tourism and connections to the Greek islands and represents an important regional hub.
Until now, this route was not served by regular direct flights, and its introduction contributes to expanding connectivity from Romania’s regional airports, facilitating mobility and the development of commercial and tourism relations.”
Ms. Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director of Communications & Marketing at Athens International Airport, said: “We warmly welcome the new route inaugurated by AnimaWings, connecting Athens with Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania — an attractive destination and an important regional center in Romania. We are delighted to see improved connectivity between Romania and Greece with the addition of Cluj to our airport’s directly served destination network.
On the occasion of the new route launch, we look forward to welcoming all passengers from Romania traveling to our city and beyond, as well as travelers from Athens/Greece choosing to discover this unique Romanian destination. We extend a warm welcome to the airline and wish it every success in developing its presence in the Greek market.”
Mr. David Ciceo, CEO of Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport, added: “We are pleased that, just 1 year and 3 months after launching scheduled operations from Cluj Airport, the airline AnimaWings continues its accelerated expansion process, now offering a portfolio of six scheduled destinations from Cluj Airport: Athens, Bucharest, Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Olbia-Sardinia, and Zakynthos.
The direct connection with Athens, the capital of Greece — operated year-round — responds to real passenger demand and complements the external destination offering with a strategic point in Southern Europe, opening opportunities for both business travel and passengers choosing Greece as a holiday destination.”
Currently, AnimaWings 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 has recently launched new direct flights from Bucharest to European metropolitan cities including London Gatwick (from March 22), Geneva (from March 30), Milan Malpensa (from May 11), and Munich (from April 2). These routes complement the extended AnimaWings connection network, which now reaches a total of 56 destinations.
