Friday 8 June 2018

TURKEY: Pegasus Airlines Introduces Non-stop Izmir To Kiev Flights

Turkey’s low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines is launching direct non-stop flights from Turkey's Aegean city of Izmir to the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv or Kiev.

Turkish carrier's first flight is on July 9, 2018. Pegasus Airlines will connect Izmir's Adnan Menderes Aiport (ADB) with Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany).

The flights will depart from ADB at 23.50 and arrive Kiev at 02.15.

Return flight will depart from Kiev 02.55 and arrive Izmir at 05.15.

Izmir – Kyiv flights will be performed on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Fares start at US$54.99 pp one-way.

Ukrainian holidaymakers have plenty of choice when it comes to accessing popular family friendly resorts on the west coast of Turkey such as Kuşadasi, Çeşme, Ozdere and Seferihisar.

This brand new Turkish destination is expected to be extremely popular with holidaymakers looking for exceptional weather, great value, and fabulous cuisine with beautiful beaches and the Dilek National Park within easy reach.

Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish low-cost airline headquartered in the Kurtkoy area of Pendik, Istanbul with bases at several Turkish airports.

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 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 2018, Pegasus tried to acquire an A380 but later cancelled the order.

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 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.

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.

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

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

Pegasus Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

- Flynas

- KLM

Pegasus Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Airbus A320-200 12

- Airbus A320neo 18

- Boeing 737-800 44

- Total 76

Aircraft Orders For pegasus

- Airbus A320neo 51

- Airbus A321neo 43

- Boeing 737-800 5

- Total Orders 93

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, 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. The nose gear suffered the same problem as JetBlue Flight 292.

On 7 February 2014, Pegasus Airlines Flight 751, a Boeing 737, was the victim of an attempted hijacking by a Ukrainian passenger Artem Kozlov who claimed he had a bomb on board.

The passenger demanded to be flown to Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics, where the Opening Ceremony was taking place. The plane landed safely in Istanbul.

On 13 January 2018, Pegasus Airlines Flight 8622 from Esenboga International Airport, Ankara to Trabzon Airport veered off the icy runway at Trabzon, slid into the ground of an acutely angled cliff, and got stuck in the mud, which prevented the 41-tonne fuselage from skidding into the Black Sea.

All 168 people on board survived and there were no reported injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.


Tourism Observer

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