Pegasus Airlines has received its hundredth aircraft, just in time to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. The A321neo was registered under the TC-RDP registration and christened as «Cumhuriyet» (which means Republic in Turkish).
The delivery flight, originating from Hamburg, landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at 6:00 PM. There, the aircraft was received by Mehmet T. Nane and Güliz Öztürk, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Pegasus Airlines, respectively. The aircraft’s design pays tribute to the centenary of the Republic of Turkey, featuring the silhouette and signature of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on its tail. Cumhuriyet is the ninth of the 16 aircraft scheduled to join Pegasus’ fleet in 2023. This is part of the order signed with Airbus in 2012, which, through subsequent agreements, was extended to a total of 150 units.
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Visibly delighted, Öztürk received the aircraft, stating that «now that we have reached 100 units, we will take firm steps towards the future. We aim to expand our international network, which currently covers Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caucasus, and all of Turkey. We aspire to be one of the leading low-cost airlines and are committed to continuing the transformation we began 18 years ago.»
She then emphasized that all aircraft deliveries since 2021 have consisted of Airbus A321neo. The executive noted that «this model is recognized in the industry as a game-changer. It offers greater capacity and aligns well with our current operational structure. Essentially, this enables us to provide higher-capacity services without complicating our operational configuration.»
Pegasus’ fleet of 100 aircraft includes 15 Boeing B737-800, six Airbus A320ceo, 46 Airbus A320neo, and 33 Airbus A321neo. It is Turkey’s newest fleet, with an average age of 4.5 years.
