Simona Halep becomes the ambassador of AnimaWings, the airline redefining the standards of Romanian aviation.
19/05/2026 by Animawings / News
AnimaWings, the 100% Romanian airline, announces its partnership with Simona Halep, the most accomplished tennis player in Romania’s history, who joins the country’s most ambitious privately owned aviation project as brand ambassador. Currently undergoing a period of accelerated expansion, the full-service carrier is growing its fleet to 8 state-of-the-art aircraft and will operate more than 50 air routes this summer season.
The collaboration brings together two Romanian names built around performance, professionalism, trust, and the ambition to represent Romania at the highest international standards.
“Simona Halep is one of Romania’s strongest symbols of performance and professionalism, and we are delighted that she has chosen to join AnimaWings during such an important stage in the company’s development. This partnership reflects the values we strongly believe in: seriousness, excellence, ambition, and building a modern Romanian brand that can compete internationally. Associating with Simona Halep validates the direction in which AnimaWings is evolving and the standards we aim to offer our passengers. At AnimaWings, we consistently support Romanian sports, performance, and the next generation of champions at every level. Through every AnimaWings aircraft proudly carrying the Romanian tricolor on its fuselage in major airports around the world, we aim to promote Romania, its values, and the people who inspire through excellence,” said Marius Pandel, CEO and Co-Founder of AnimaWings.
“I choose to support Romania and invest my time and image in a brand that inspires me. For me, professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care for people matter greatly, and the experiences I’ve had onboard AnimaWings flights convinced me that this Romanian brand has tremendous development potential. I believe we need more and more examples of local companies growing beautifully, with ambition and high standards, and I am happy to be part of this story,” said Simona Halep.
Driven by the ambition to establish itself as a regional aviation player and to build a true national project, AnimaWings continues to invest heavily in its fleet and currently operates 7 aircraft, with the eighth unit set to arrive in Romania in the coming days. Six of these aircraft were delivered directly from the factory over the past 18 months, making AnimaWings the airline with the youngest fleet in Romanian aviation.
Representatives of Airbus also attended the event, including Johan Pelissier, President of Region Europe Airbus, who highlighted the strategic partnership developed with AnimaWings. The presence of the Airbus team in Bucharest marks the continuation of the close collaboration between the two companies and Airbus’ support for AnimaWings’ accelerated development plans, as the Romanian airline is currently the leading Airbus operator in Romania and has invested in the new generation of A220 aircraft. At the same time, AnimaWings and Airbus continue discussions regarding the future expansion of the fleet as part of the airline’s regional and European growth strategy.
More than 50 scheduled and charter routes during the 2026 summer season
This summer, AnimaWings operates more than 50 scheduled and charter routes to popular tourist destinations across Europe, alongside important connections dedicated to the business segment and Romanian diaspora communities, departing from the country’s main cities.
The scheduled network covers major European destinations such as Paris, Geneva, Munich, and London from Bucharest, as well as Athens from Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca. Starting May 29, Milan (Malpensa) will also be added from the capital city. Additionally, beginning in July, Cluj-Napoca will be connected to Vienna and Frankfurt, while Timișoara will gain flights to Copenhagen and Rotterdam. From August, Bucharest will also see new services to Rotterdam and Strasbourg.
Alongside its operational development, AnimaWings is also experiencing accelerated business growth, strengthening its position on the Romanian aviation market through major investments, route network expansion, and the attraction of strategic investors who have recently announced their involvement in the company.
