Pegasus Airlines

History

On 1 December 1989 two businesses, Net and Silkar, partnered with Aer Lingus to create an inclusive tour charter airline called Pegasus Airlines and services were inaugurated on 15 April 1990 with two Boeing 737–400s. In Greek mythology, Pegasus (Greek: Πήγασος, Pégasos, 'strong') was a winged horse sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. However, four months after the launch, Iraq invaded Kuwait and the seven month occupation that followed had a serious effect on Turkish tourism. By 1992, tourists began returning to the country and Pegasus grew with the acquisition of a third 737-400. The airline leased a further two Airbus A320s to meet the summer demand.

After two positive years, Aer Lingus and Net sold their shares in the company in 1994 to Istanbul-based Yapi Kredibank, making Pegasus a purely Turkish company.

On 4 September 1997, Pegasus placed an order for one 737-400 and one 737–800 from Boeing Commercial Airplanes making it the first Turkish carrier to place an order for the Boeing 737 Next Generation. The airline also signed lease agreements for a further 10 737-800s from the ILFC.

In January 2005, ESAS Holdings purchased Pegasus Airlines and placed Ali Sabanci as the chairman. Two months later, he changed the airline from a charter airline, to a low-cost airline. In November 2005, Pegasus placed an order for 12 new 737-800s from Boeing which was backed up with an order for a further 12 737-800s in November 2008. The latter order has flexibility in it as the orders can be changed to the 149-seat 737-700 or the 215-seat 737–900 depending on market demand.

In 2007, Pegasus carried more passengers in Turkey than any other private airline. In 2008, it carried a total of 4.4 million passengers. In 2013 the passenger traffic grew even further to 16.8 million passengers carried.

In 2012, Pegasus Airlines, the second largest airline in Turkey, has signed for up to 100 A320neo Family aircraft (57 A320neo and 18 A321neo models), of which 75 are firm orders. Pegasus becomes a new Airbus customer and the first Turkish airline to order the A320neo. This was the largest single commercial aircraft order ever placed by an airline in Turkey at that time, and was announced on December 18, 2012 at a ceremony attended by Binali Yıldırım, the Turkish Minister of Transport. In June 2012, Pegasus Airlines bought 49% of the Kyrgyz air company Air Manas. 22 March 2013 the air company had operated its first flight under the brand name Pegasus Asia.

The company offered 34.5% of its shares of stock to the public. The shares began to be traded at the Borsa Istanbul as BİST: PGSUS on 26 April 2013.

In October 2016, Pegasus Airlines announced to offer three of its aircraft on the ACMI and leasing markets, stating severely decreasing passenger numbers.

Pegasus Airlines is currently rated amongst one of the 21 worst airlines in the world, based on Skytrax ratings.

Cabin

Pegasus Airlines operates a one-class interior configuration on all of their aircraft. A "Flying Cafe" is available to all passengers whereby food and beverages are provided for an additional charge. Pegasus is also considering installing In-Flight-Entertainment and charging for headphones (currently, only overhead screens are available on selected 737-800s and they only display a computer-generated map showing the flight's progress). All new Boeing 737-800s arrived after November 2011 have Boeing Sky Interior.

Training and maintenance

Unlike most low-cost carriers, Pegasus runs its own flight crew training centre and maintenance organisation, Pegasus Technic. Both centres are fully licensed and are used to train new staff members both on the ground and in the air.

Sponsorships

Pegasus Airlines is one of the official sponsors of Türk Telekom Arena, newly built stadium for Turkish Club Galatasaray SK.

Awards

Pegasus Airlines was named the cheapest European low cost airline in research held in October 2013 and again in June 2014.

Codeshare agreements

Pegasus Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet

As of December 2016, the Pegasus Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Pegasus Airlines used to operate three Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-300 which were introduced in 2006, the last of the three aircraft was retired in 2012.

Incidents and accidents