Romanian flag carrier TAROM will name the second Boeing 737 MAX joining its renewed fleet after Olympic canoeing champion Ivan Patzaichin. The agreement allowing the airline to use his name was signed on August 19 in the presence of his wife and daughter.

The first new Boeing 737 MAX entering TAROM’s fleet this year was named after legendary football coach Mircea Lucescu.

Born into a fishing family in Mila 23, a village in the Danube Delta, Patzaichin went on to become one of Romania’s leading sporting figures.

“When he was young, my father was fascinated by the few airplanes that crossed the sky. He very much wanted to become a pilot,” his daughter, Ivona Patzaichin, said. 

“Later, whenever he traveled to sporting competitions, he flew only with TAROM. He was one of those enthusiasts who would visit the cockpit. Now Ivan is once again up in the sky, and the aircraft bearing his name fulfills the dream of the child born in the Delta in an extremely special way,” she added.

In his turn, TAROM general manager Cristian Anghel recalled Patzaichin’s performance at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when his paddle broke during a qualifying race.

“He did not give up and continued paddling. He continued the competition and won Olympic gold,” Anghel said. “It is the story of success built through work, discipline, and determination.”

TAROM began naming aircraft after prominent Romanian athletes in 2024. A Boeing 737-800 named “Nadia Comăneci” was the first aircraft in the company’s fleet to carry the name of a Romanian athlete. 

The agreement to use gymnast Nadia Comăneci’s name was signed in April 2024, and the aircraft later transported Romania’s Olympic team to the Paris Olympic Games.

TAROM was established in 1954 and operates under Romania’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The national carrier has a fleet of 10 aircraft and provides access to more than 50 destinations through its own flights and code-share partners. It has been a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 1993 and joined the SkyTeam alliance in 2010.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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