LONDONFRANKFURT, Feb 7 Reuters German defence contractor Renk and Greece39;s Athens International Airport AIA soared in their market debuts on Wednesday, in a boost for Europe39;s bruised IPO market.

Shares in Renk, a producer of tank gearboxes, closed at 19.65 euros Wednesday afternoon, 31 higher than the price paid by investors in a private placement ahead of the listing.

AIA initially jumped by as much as 15 and closed at 9.16 euros per share, 12 above its IPO price.

The success of Europe39;s first major initial public offerings this year is seen as a good omen by bankers, who are hoping for a busier 2024 after seeing volumes plummet in the last two years.

This is the beginning of a potential reopening of the European IPO market, said Marco Guarino, executive director with Morgan Stanley39;s regional equity capital markets ECM syndicate, which coled the Athens IPO.

We expect the market to be busier around Easter but also later in Q2 and in Q3.

Kazakhstani airline Air Astana is in the midst of listing shares and depositary receipts on the London stock market and in its home country.

Elsewhere, German perfume retailer Douglas is preparing for an IPO as soon as this quarter, sources have told Reuters previously.

Swiss skincare giant Galderma, Italian fashion firm Golden Goose and German transport group Flix are also on bankers39; lists of possible IPOs for this year.

However, not all the companies that have come to market since January have had the same…