Pegasus Airlines Places the Largest-ever Aircraft Order in the History of Turkish Civil Aviation

A signing ceremony and press conference was held today at Pegasus Airlines' new headquarters at Aeropark, Istanbul, Turkey, at which the airline's order of 100 Airbus aircraft was unveiled to the public within the context of the airline's newly revealed strategy for growth to 2023. Within this framework for expansion, Pegasus Airlines, who launched scheduled flights on 1 November 2005, announced their vision to create a "Fleet of the Future".

The signing ceremony, jointly hosted by Pegasus Airlines' Chairman Ali Sabanci and CEO, Sertac Haybat, was attended by The Republic of Turkey's Minister for Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, Binali Yildirim, together with Airbus Executive Vice President, responsible for Europe and Asia Pacific, Christopher Buckley, and senior representatives from aviation, transport and business industries.

The opening speeches at the ceremony were made by Pegasus Airlines' Chairman, Ali Sabanci, and CEO Sertac Haybat. Sabanci and Haybat noted that they were proud to be signing another pioneering and milestone project for the airline which is set to enhance the Pegasus mission even further as the easiest way to fly: "When we launched Pegasus Airlines on 1 November 2005 we knew we had a long journey ahead of us. From the very first day, we introduced innovation into our country's civil aviation sector; we grew, we evolved, we innovated and we generated change. Now we are going further, and once again we have said 'this is not enough,' continuing steadfastly on our journey of advancement and progress."

Haybat noted: "We have grown rapidly and in 2011 we were recognised as Europe's Fastest Growing Airline."

Pegasus Airlines CEO Haybat stated that Pegasus Airlines has flown 49 million guests since launching, thus also introducing Turkey to the easiest way to fly. He continued: "We introduced low-cost air travel to our guests, made possible by our airline's operations. When we began our journey, we promised our guests three main benefits: they would fly at affordable prices, arrive at their destinations on-time and fly in new aircraft. We have kept our promises for the past seven years and have regularly introduced innovative features for our guests. At the end of seven years, we are now providing 1,700 scheduled flights a week. As of December 2012, the average age of the fleet is 3.86 years and since the first day of operation, we have welcomed 49 million guests on a fleet of 42 aircraft. We are now Europe's Fastest Growing Airline, offering 62 destinations in 26 different countries**. Although we did not launch civil aviation in Turkey, our Pegasus model has transformed it."

Sabanci: "We are placing the largest order in the history of Turkish Civil Aviation."

Pegasus Airlines Chairman, Mr Ali Sabanci, said: "When our first Pegasus flight took off, we had broken new ground by placing the biggest order in the history of Turkish private civil aviation at the time. Now, as we look ahead to the next decade, we know that, apart from human resources, an airline's most important asset is its fleet; thus, once again, we have said to ourselves, 'this is not enough;' and so we continue to expand our fleet with this historic order of aircraft. This time it's not just the largest order in the private civil aviation sector, but also the largest in the history of Turkish civil aviation. We are delighted to be signing this agreement with the world's leading aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, for 100 new A320neo and A321neo aircraft worth a total of US $12 billion. With this pioneering investment in 100 new aircraft, we at Pegasus are breaking new ground in the development of Turkish civil aviation."

Christopher Buckley, Airbus's Executive Vice President, responsible for Europe and Asia Pacific, said: "Turkey is rapidly developing into Europe's most dynamic commercial aviation market and Pegasus is one of the major players within this transformation. We are very proud that Pegasus Airlines has become Airbus' newest customer with such a significant order of new aircraft. We wish Pegasus the greatest success with its new A320neo fleet and look forward to a long-term partnership together."

After the speeches, the Republic of Turkey's Minister for Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, Binali Yildirim, witnessed the signing ceremony for the order of 100 new Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft to the value of US$12 billion.

The first aircraft in this largest order in the history of Turkish civil aviation is expected to be delivered in 2015-2016. The delivery of this order is expected to be completed in 2022.

New Airbus A320neo and A321neo - Technical Information:

The new A320neo is a single-class, 180-seat capacity aircraft with 79,000kg maximum take-off weight. It is 37.57m long and has a range of 5,200km. The new A320neo is one of the newest aircrafts in its class. The new A320neo aircraft are able to carry a load of 1.2 more tonnes than the classic Airbus A320 model as a result of their new engines.

The new A321neo has a capacity of 220 seats in a single class, with a maximum take-off weight of 93,500kg. It is 44.51m long and has a range of 5,000 km. The new A321neo is one of the newest aircrafts in its class. The new A321neo aircraft are able to carry a load of 2.7 more tonnes than the classic Airbus A320 model due to their new engines.

The A320neo and A321neo aircraft that Pegasus have ordered feature a new generation of more efficient new generation engines and sharklets (vertical wing tips) that together generate fuel savings of 15% per aircraft per annum when compared to the classic Airbus A320 model. At today's fuel prices this 15% represents approximately US$1.5 million savings per aircraft per annum. This translates to 3,600 tonnes less carbon dioxide emissions for each aircraft per annum, a double-digit reduction in carbon emissions together with reduced engine noise. (Comparisons are based on the Airbus A320neo classic.)

*Prices have been calculated based on the list price at delivery date
** According to the Official Airline Guide's (OAG) 2011 Report, Pegasus Airlines was named as "Europe's Fastest Growing Airline" from Europe's Largest 25 Airlines in terms of capacity when comparing capacity figures between 2010 and 2011.