When Romanian budget airline Animawings first announced that it would be canceling all its flights, the suspension was only supposed to last until two weeks until the start of November.
As the airline’s bankruptcy request was weighed and eventually approved by a local judge, the restart date was pushed back until Nov. 15 and, now, 2027. The airline that launched in 2020 with a new model of offering both commercial and charter flights to different cities in Europe and the Middle East has not run a scheduled flight since October 2.
“In light of the current circumstances and the ongoing restructuring process, Animawings announces the extension of the suspension of all scheduled flights through Dec. 31, 2026, inclusive,” Animawings said in its latest statement.
Animawings to not restart flights until January 2026, airline now says
When the low-cost airline filed a request to enter insolvency proceedings at the Bucharest Tribunal at the end of September, it cited “repeated technical problems affecting our fleet” and an “economic backdrop that has further intensified this pressure” that led to a debt load of more than 157 million Romanian lei or roughly $33 million USD.
Earlier in the fall, Animawings was forced to ground its entire fleet of six leased Airbus A220-300 planes due to recurrent technical issues linked to their Pratt & Whitney engines.
Related: Another low-cost airline in bankruptcy, cancels all flights
Bucharest Tribunal officially approved Animawings’ bankruptcy request on Oct. 28 while the airline issued a statement saying that “any flights scheduled during this period will be progressively cancelled in our booking system, and affected passengers will receive notifications outlining the available options directly at the email addresses associated with their bookings.”
Animawings
What is the state of Animawings in 2027
With service now suspended for more than three months, much about Animawings’ future remains hanging in the balance. An administrator has been assigned by the court to oversee the insolvency case and craft a plan toward future profitability.
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In the court documents, Animawings is listed as having 25 creditors of which many are aviation authorities like the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA) and the Bucharest Airports National Company as well as Romanian cities such as Brasov, Craiova, Sibiu, and Cluj-Napoca and various banks and lenders.
Other airlines that filed for bankruptcy in 2026:
- Flamingo Air and Aerodiana: The regional airlines with large client bases among tourists to the Bahamas and Peru, respectively, currently have suspended AOCs after fatal accidents in their home countries that took place in July 2026.
- Spirit Airlines: The largest airline shutdown of the year occurred when Spirit Airlines canceled all remaining flights on May 2. Although the airline had filed for Chapter 11 protection twice before, the skyrocketing price of jet fuel dealt the final blow.
- Magnicharters: The Mexican low-cost airline ended up canceling all flights and filing for bankruptcy in a shutdown that left thousands stranded.
- Starflite Aviation: The Houston-based carrier had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
- AlpAvia: The Slovenian charter airline also shut down in March 2026 due to financial problems dating back years.
Related: Travelers left stranded as another airline, Animawings, cancels all flights
