Aegean Airlines (A3, Athens) has taken a minority 25% stake in Romanian start-up Animawings (A2, Bucharest Henri Coanda). The Greek carrier said in a stock market disclosure that the shareholding was valued at EUR412,000 euro (USD465,000).

Animawings is majority-owned by Memento Group, a Romanian travel agency that, Aegean said, has been a longtime customer chartering in aircraft for flights from several Romanian cities to the Greek islands of Crete, Rhodes, and Kerkyra.

It is in the process of completing its certification with the Romanian civil aviation authority ahead of an early May debut.

Animawings is also backed by Greek ACMI/charter specialist orange2fly (Athens), from which it will wet-lease two A320-200s. By 2025, it expects to operate a fleet of five A320s.

As previously reported, Animawings will operate charter flights on behalf of Romanian tour operators, including but not limited to Memento Group's subsidiary Christian Tour, to destinations throughout the Mediterranean basin, Egypt, and the Canary Islands.