Romanian airline AnimaWings has filed for insolvency after withdrawing its entire fleet of six Airbus A220-300s, leaving just two A320s available to maintain part of its scheduled network.
The company filed the request with the Bucharest Court on September 30 and said the procedure would allow it to continue operating while restructuring its financial obligations. AnimaWings attributed the decision primarily to recurring technical problems affecting its fleet, combined with higher operating costs and a difficult economic environment.
Flight records show, however, that the withdrawal of the A220s did not occur simultaneously. Some aircraft had stopped flying earlier in September, while others remained in regular passenger service until shortly before the insolvency filing.
One of them, YR-GUN, last flew on September 20. The aircraft departed Bucharest for Nice but returned to the Romanian capital before reaching its destination and has not operated since.
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Other A220s continued flying for another week. YR-FUN remained in service until September 28 and finished the day in Timișoara, while YR-CHR operated from Bucharest to London Gatwick on the same date and remained there.
Two A220s sent to Toulouse
The clearest indication that AnimaWings is dismantling its A220 operation came hours after the insolvency filing. YR-BUN and YR-RUN departed Bucharest within nine minutes of each other late on September 30 and flew directly to Toulouse.
YR-BUN departed at 10:28 p.m. local time and arrived in Toulouse at 12:21 a.m. on October 1. YR-RUN followed at 10:37 p.m. and landed at 12:32 a.m.
Fleet records now list both aircraft as parked in Toulouse and withdrawn from use. The two jets are also among the newest aircraft in the AnimaWings fleet: YR-BUN was delivered in April 2026 and YR-RUN in March.
All six A220-300s are leased, and the fleet involves more than one lessor. YR-BUN is associated with SMBC Aviation Capital and YR-RUN with Air Lease Corporation, while four other aircraft have been linked to Azorra.
AnimaWings has denied reports that unpaid leasing obligations caused the withdrawal. The airline said the decision to remove the aircraft from service was its own and resulted from recurring technical difficulties.
The company has not publicly identified a specific component or system responsible for those problems. The six aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines, but AnimaWings has not attributed its decision to the engines.
Fleet expanded rapidly
AnimaWings received its first two A220-300s in December 2024 and expanded the fleet rapidly. Its six aircraft were delivered between December 2024 and July 2026, making the A220 fleet less than two years old.
The type had also become central to the airline's operation. Aircraft utilization data for the previous 12 months shows the A220s averaged about 5.7 flights and 8.1 flight hours per day, compared with 5.1 flights and 8.9 hours for its two A320s.
The withdrawal therefore leaves AnimaWings with only YR-AGC and YR-AGD, its two A320s, to operate a network that had been planned around eight aircraft. Flight schedules on October 1 still showed numerous services assigned to A220s, while some were canceled and others were operated by the remaining A320s.
AnimaWings has warned passengers that further schedule changes, postponements and cancellations are possible. It said affected customers would be contacted directly and offered refunds or alternative travel where available.
Financial pressure had already increased before the fleet withdrawal. Romanian financial data cited by local media showed approximately 11.5 million lei (US$2.6 million) in overdue tax obligations as of June 30, up from 5.63 million lei three months earlier.
The carrier reported approximately €66.5 million (US$78 million) in revenue in 2025 but recorded a loss of more than €22 million (US$26 million), after posting a profit in the previous year.
AnimaWings had nevertheless continued to outline expansion plans during 2026. As recently as August, the airline said it intended to grow to 14 aircraft by the end of 2027 and expand scheduled services from Bucharest, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca.
The insolvency request does not automatically halt operations. AnimaWings says it intends to continue flying during the restructuring process, although its available fleet has been reduced from eight aircraft to two.
