Pegasus Airlines

  About Pegasus Airlines

Pegasus Airlines is a private low-cost Turkish airline with its headquarters in the Kurtköy region of Pendik, Istanbul. The airline's base though, is in several Turkish airports namely Adana Airport, Antalya Airport, Ankara Esenbo?a Airport, Adnan Menderes Airport, and Ercan Airport. The airline came into existence in 1989 when two business ventures, Net and Silkar, entered a partnership with Irish-airline company Aer Lingus. Together they formed Pegasus Airlines and operations of the new airline commenced in 1990. The airline's first fleet comprises of two Boeing 737-400s which later expanded to accommodate more Airbus variants. The airline's name has been derived from the relevance of Pegasus, a winged horse that is sired by the Greek god of the sea. Months after the launch of Pegasus Airlines, Iraq stormed Kuwait with an invasion which led to a halt in the operations of the airline and resulted in a serious setback on Turkish tourism.

Further, this also affected Pegasus' operations as the airline had to shut shop for a few months until the political scenario returned to normal.

In 1992, things started looking good for Turkey's tourism and further enhanced the demand for Pegasus Airlines. The airline acquired a third Boeing 737-400 to join its fleet. It also leased two Airbus A320s to meet the demand brought in by summer tourists. After two successful years with positive reception for the airline, Aer Lingus and Net opted to sell off their shares in Pegasus Airlines. Following the exit of the two companies in 1994, an Istanbul-based enterprise called Yapi Kredibank, acquired all the shares of the airline, turning Pegasus Airlines into a Turkish company. In 1997, the airline placed an order for one Boeing 737-400 along with one Boeing 737-800 from the aircraft-manufacturing company. Since the change in ownership, Pegasus Airlines became the first Turkish airline to have placed orders for the Boeing 737 Next Generation. A lease agreement was also signed to receive ten more Boeing 737-800s from the International Lease Finance Corporation. In 2005, Pegasus Airlines received another investor in ESAS Holdings with Ali Sabanci as the new chairman.

Under Sabanci, the airline underwent some significant changes as it was converted from a charter airline to a low-cost carrier. The airline also ordered more Boeing aircraft to join its fleet as the demand for Pegasus Airlines flight increased axiomatically, thanks to their affordable ticket prices and great in-flight services. In fact, the airline further expanded its domestic route connectivity too, which helped cater to the domestic audience. By 2013, the airline's domestic market share also witnessed a spike of about 27 per cent. After Turkish Airlines, Air Pegasus is the second-largest airline in the country which started transforming its fleet from Boeing to Airbus. In fact, Pegasus Airlines became the first Turkish airline to become a customer for Airbus as they ordered some A320neo. As part of its expansion strategies, the airline also started investing in other airlines. In 2012, the airline purchased 49 per cent of shares of Air Manas, a low-cost airline based out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Pegasus Airlines also put up their shares in the stock market, which was traded at Borsa Istanbul.

Fleet size of Pegasus Airlines

As of 2020, Pegasus Airlines' fleet size stands at 89 aircraft which comprise mainly aircraft from the Boeing and Airbus family. The aircraft that is part of Pegasus Airlines' fleet includes 37 Boeing 737-800s, 35 Airbus A320-200neos, 12 Airbus A320-200ceos and five Airbus A321-200neos. The airline has already placed an order for 26 more Airbus A320neos, which is slated to be delivered by 2022. Meanwhile, they are halfway with their plan to replace the Boeing 737-800s from their fleet and replace it with the Airbus A320 series. In fact, along with the Airbus A320neo, the airline is also expected to receive 38 Airbus A321neo, orders for which have been placed by the airline already. Interestingly the airline's operations commenced with two Boeing 737-400s inaugurating the inception of Pegasus Airlines. In the past, Pegasus Airlines did have Boeing 737-300 and Beijing 737-400. However, with their plan to turn their fleet into an all-Airbus fleet, they have slowly phased out the Boeings.

Baggage Allowance

Pegasus Airlines' baggage allowance is slightly tweaked in comparison to some of its contemporaries. The airline offers lesser baggage allowance as it is a low-cost airline. Passengers travelling internationally with Pegasus Airlines are allowed to carry about 20 kg of weight per baggage. The said weight is applicable to all their cabin classes that include the Essentials, Advantage and Business Flex. The policy is different for domestic flights as passengers can carry a range of 15 kg to 20 kg. Depending on the cabin class, the baggage allowance differs for passengers. According to their revised baggage allowance policy, the airline expects passengers to drop off the cabin baggage too at the check-in. In fact, Pegasus Airlines only permits carrying of a handbag, a briefcase, a laptop bag or a bag that is reserved for baby items. This rule is applicable to passengers who are travelling with an infant. The cabin baggage's weight should not exceed 8 kg. It is mandatory for passengers to follow the baggage rules, and in case they need more, a purchase for extra baggage can be made at the airline's check-in counter or online.

In-flight services

As a low-cost carrier, Pegasus Airlines does not have a lot of top-notch facilities. However, they do make up for it with excellent in-flight services. The flights of Pegasus Airlines offer decent seats which come with comfortable legroom. They also come with great hospitality from the flight attendants.

Popular routes and top cities for Pegasus Airlines

Within Turkey, Pegasus Airlines' domestic routes are quite strong as they have exemplary connectivity. For passengers who have planned a trip to explore the country, going by Pegasus Airlines would be ideal. Domestic destinations such as Adana, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Edremit, Batman, Bodrum, Dalaman, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Kayseri, Izmir, Kars, Konya, Malatya, Samsun, Sivas and Van, to name a few, are all listed as places where Pegasus Airlines can operate from. As for international routes that the airline caters to, they are mostly in the European and Central Asian destinations, with a handful of Middle Eastern cities too. Pegasus Airlines literally has no flight connectivity to Asian countries or even American destinations. Some of the top cities that the airline networks with are Almaty, Amman, Amsterdam, Bahrain, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Berlin, Belgrade, Bishkek, Bologna, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Doha, Dusseldorf, Erbil, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Gronzy^, Hurghada, Karachi, Kharkiv, Krasnodar, Kuwait City, London, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Marseille, Muscat, Nice, Oslo, Prague, Riyadh, Rotterdam, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Zurich.

Why travel by Pegasus Airlines?

Pegasus Airlines boasts a 20-year experience in the field of aviation. During this period, the airline has grown tremendously to become one of the most established private airlines in Turkey. To ensure that the quality of services is not compromised, the airline has accumulated a team of trained professionals as part of their crew. The experienced crew is quite abreast with the necessities of what counts as the best experience for the passengers. The airline runs its own flight academy, and their crew are usually recruited from the academy. This further bolsters their claim for offering the best crew who are aware of the requirements of the passengers and what counts as a smooth transit. With a view to enhancing the experience of the traveller at an affordable price, the airline has also provided the best flight ticket rates. Their flexible pricing policy has enabled passengers from various walks of life to get the best in-flight services and quality that add to their reputation. They have also installed the latest high technology equipment in all their aircraft. They believe in using cutting-edge technology to ensure that there are no complications during the journey.

One of the biggest perks of Pegasus Airlines is that they are always on-time. With minimal delays with respect to their flight schedules, this is a quality that many global airlines lack. The airline has shown monthly success rate in terms of being on-time, in Turkey. Other benefits of Pegasus Airlines are the facilities they provide online. Passengers can opt for web check-ins and avoid the long queues of check-in counters at the airport.

Further, the official website of the airline also has an updated list of Pegasus Airlines' flight schedules and flight status. Passengers can peruse through the list of domestic route and international route connectivity that the airline has before booking a ticket. Speaking of which, prospective travellers can book a Pegasus Airlines flight ticket on their website and rake in some of the benefits that follow. These include discounts on flight tickets as well as some combo hotel packages that passengers can avail. Passengers can change flights after booking the tickets and also cancel the flight and receive a chunk as a refund.

Booking details can also be managed on their official website alone with airport shuttle services. Their upscale services are definitely worth the money spent.