Pegasus Airlines
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| Founded | 1990 | |||
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| Hubs | Sabiha Gökçen International Airport | |||
| Focus cities | Antalya Airport | |||
| Fleet size | 36 | |||
| Destinations | 85 | |||
| Parent company | Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı A.Ş. | |||
| Headquarters | Istanbul, Turkey | |||
| Key people | Ali Sabancı, Sertaç Haybat | |||
| Website | www.flypgs.com | |||
Pegasus Airlines (Turkish: Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı A.Ş.) is a low-cost airline headquartered in the Halkalı area of Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey. [1] Formerly a charter airline in partnership with Aer Lingus, Pegasus is now completely controlled by Esas Holding.
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[edit] 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. However, four months after the launch, Iraq invaded Kuwait and the seven month occupation that followed had a serious effect on Turkish tourism.[2]
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.[2]
After two positive years, Aer Lingus and Net sold their shares in the company in 1994 to Istanbul based Yapi Kreditbank, making Pegasus a purely Turkish company.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
In 2007, Pegasus carried more passengers in Turkey than any other private airline. In 2008, it carried a total of 4.4 million passengers.[3]
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.
[edit] Destinations
Pegasus Airlines has charter and scheduled services to 70 airports in Europe and Asia.
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[edit] Fleet
As of June 2011, the Pegasus Airlines fleet consists the following aircraft, with an average age of 4.2 years:[4]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 2 | 0 | 170 |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 0 | 131 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 31 | 9 | 189 |
| Total | 34 | 9 |
[edit] Cabin
Pegasus Airlines operates a one-class interior configuration on all of their aircraft. A "Flying Cafe" is available to all passengers whereby hot meals 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 show a computer-generated map showing the flights progress).[2]
[edit] 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.[2][5]
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On 10 March 2010, Pegasus Airlines Flight 361, an Airbus A319 operated by IZair on a ferry flight, made an emergency landing at Frankfurt Airport in Germany after a malfunction in the nose gear. The flight landed safely but blew both front nose gear tires. The airport closed runway 07R/25L for 3 hours to allow recovery.[6] The nose gear suffered the same problem as JetBlue Flight 292.
[edit] Sponsorships
Pegasus Airlines is one of the official sponsors of Türk Telekom Arena, newly built stadium for Turkish Club Galatasaray SK .[7]
[edit] References
- ^ "Headquarters." Pegasus Airlines. Retrieved on 6 September 2009. "Address: Basın Ekspres Yolu No:2 Halkalı Istanbul / Turkey"
- ^ a b c d e f g "Winged Horses over Istanbul" - Airliner World, December 2008
- ^ [sabanciuniv.edu http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/eng/?medya/bulten/bulten_detay.php?ContentID=71]
- ^ Pegasus Airlines fleet list at planespotters.net
- ^ http://www.flypgs.com/en/about-pegasus/pegasus-flight-academy.aspx
- ^ Pegasus Airlines Flight 361 - 10 March 2010
- ^ Sabah Newspaper
[edit] External links
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