Low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines marked a milestone by obtaining its 100th aircraft in the year marking the centenary of the Turkish republic, with the plane landing at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport, according to the company's statement Saturday.
The new Airbus A321neo aircraft symbolically named Cumhuriyet (Republic) and registered under the tail number TC-RDP departed from the German city of Hamburg and landed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 4:36 p.m. local time Saturday, as per Anadolu Agency (AA) reports.
Pegasus Airlines' Chairperson of the Board Mehmet Tevfik Nane and the company's CEO Güliz Öztürk went to Airbus' facilities in Hamburg to accept delivery of the aircraft. The plane was specially designed for the 100th anniversary of the republic with the silhouette and signature of the founder of the modern Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on its tail.
The Cumhuriyet, which is the ninth of the 16 new aircraft that will join Pegasus' fleet in 2023 apart from being its 100th aircraft, carries the distinction of being the 75th aircraft received under the Airbus order signed by the company in 2012 and subsequently amended over the years to a total of 150 aircraft.
As of Sept. 25, the fleet of Pegasus Airlines consists of 100 aircraft, including 15 Boeing B737-800s, six Airbus A320ceos, 46 Airbus A320neos and 33 Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Öztürk voiced their great pride in obtaining their 100th aircraft on the 100th anniversary of the republic.
"With our new A321neo aircraft Cumhuriyet, we are crossing the threshold of 100 aircraft. We are progressing steadily with a broad international flight network covering not only Europe but also the Middle East, Africa, the Caucasus, and from the north to the east, south to the west of Türkiye," she expressed.
"With our innovative, rational, principled, and responsible approach, we continue our efforts to be a pioneering low-cost airline in the industry while offering affordable fares and making travel easier," she added.
Emphasizing that all deliveries after 2021 would consist of A321neo-type aircraft, Öztürk said, "A321s are described as aircraft that change the rules of the game in the industry with different configurations compared to standard short-medium range commercial aircraft."
"They offer more capacity in a longer fuselage but have an operation process that is not very different from our current structure. In other words, we can provide service with higher capacity without complicating our operational structure. We achieve high efficiency in this regard," Öztürk further explained.
"We will continue to work with all our strength for our country, our industry, our stakeholders and our guests with our fleet of the newest aircraft in Türkiye, continuing the change we initiated in the aviation sector 18 years ago, always striving for the best."