TAROM Names New Boeing 737 MAX "Ivan Patzaichin" After Olympic Canoe Champion

TAROM, Romania's national airline, is set to name its second Boeing 737 MAX aircraft "Ivan Patzaichin," honoring the legendary Olympic canoe champion. The protocol for using his name was officially signed on Wednesday, August 19, with Georgiana and Ivona Patzaichin, the late athlete's wife and daughter, in attendance.

This naming is part of TAROM's ongoing initiative to associate its fleet with distinguished Romanian personalities who have achieved significant success in sports. The airline previously named its first Boeing 737 MAX, introduced earlier this year as part of its fleet renewal, "Mircea Lucescu," after the renowned football coach.

Ivan Patzaichin, born in Mila 23 in the Danube Delta to a family of fishermen, became one of Romania's most celebrated athletes. He competed in four Olympic Games, securing four gold and three silver medals. A particularly memorable moment occurred at the 1972 Munich Olympics when his paddle broke during a qualifying race. Despite the mishap, Patzaichin continued the race using the broken paddle, qualified, and ultimately won the gold medal.

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When he was young, my father was fascinated by the few planes that crisscrossed the sky. He really wanted to become a pilot. Later, for all departures for sports competitions, he only flew with TAROM. He was one of the enthusiasts who entered the pilots' cabins. Now Ivan is back up in the sky, and the aircraft bearing his name completes the dream of the child born in the Delta in a very special way.

His daughter, Ivona Patzaichin, shared insights into her father's lifelong passion for aviation. "When he was young, my father was fascinated by the few planes that crisscrossed the sky. He really wanted to become a pilot," she recalled. She added that he always flew with TAROM for competitions and was known to visit the cockpit. "Now Ivan is back up in the sky, and the aircraft bearing his name completes the dream of the child born in the Delta in a very special way," she stated.

Cristian Anghel, TAROM's general director, emphasized that naming the airline's most advanced aircraft after Mircea Lucescu and Ivan Patzaichin is a profound tribute. "We have deliberately chosen for the most high-performing aircraft in the TAROM fleet to bear the names of Mircea Lucescu and Ivan Patzaichin. It is, first and foremost, the strongest homage that TAROM can pay to great representatives of Romanian sport," Anghel said. He highlighted Patzaichin's journey from the Delta to Olympic glory, referencing the dramatic 1972 Munich incident as a testament to a success built on hard work, discipline, and willpower.

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We have deliberately chosen for the most high-performing aircraft in the TAROM fleet to bear the names of Mircea Lucescu and Ivan Patzaichin. It is, first and foremost, the strongest homage that TAROM can pay to great representatives of Romanian sport.