Turkish airline makes debut at Bristol Airport with new Istanbul service taking off this summer

Turkey’s fastest-growing airline is to launch direct flights from Bristol Airport to Istanbul this summer as competition on routes to the holiday hot spot heats up.

Pegasus Airlines will operate the service three times a week, putting it in competition with UK low-cost airline easyJet, which flies to Istanbul twice weekly.

Pegasus’ flights will land at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport rather than the larger Istanbul International Airport, which is used by most UK operators.

Pegasus, which already flies to Turkey from London Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester, said as a major hub airport, Sabiha Gokcen International was used by millions of passengers to explore countries across Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

The airline said it will also provide onward connections to many locations in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Georgia.

Pegasus also has an extensive domestic flight network across Turkey to top summer holiday destinations such as Antalya, Bodrum, Izmir and Dalaman. The first flights to and from Bristol will start on 8 July and are now available to book.

Turkey is a major – and fast-growing – destination for Bristol Airport. Five airlines – easyJet, jet2, TUI, Corendon Airlines and SunExpress Airlines, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines – fly up to 18 times a week from Bristol to Antalya, the country’s ‘capital of tourism’ and gateway to the country’s popular southern Mediterranean region.

Bodrum is served up to five times a week from Bristol by Jet2 and easyJet, while Jet2 flies to Izmir once a week.

Bristol Airport now serves 117 destinations across 34 countries. Its annual passenger numbers soared past the 10m mark for the first time last year as airlines continued to introduce new flights.

Airport chief executive Dave Lees said: “We’re delighted to welcome Pegasus Airlines to Bristol Airport, which will open up an extensive range of destinations for onward travel to countries including Turkey, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“It will also allow for more visitors to explore our local region, who would previously have visited the UK through London airports.

“This is good news for inbound tourism; for those who want to connect with family and friends; and for businesses in the South West and South Wales who have overseas interests.”

Pegasus, Turkey’s second-largest airline, said the year-round service would not only provide people with opportunities to explore new destinations from Bristol Airport without having to travel to London airports, but would also enable inbound visitors from a raft of countries to easily visit the South West, providing a welcome boost for regional tourism.

Kathryn Davis, chief executive of Visit West, the region’s destination marketing organisation, said: “The visitor economy is critically important to the economic success of Bristol, Bath and the wider West of England region.

“With Pegasus Airlines providing a year-round service, there will be opportunities for visitors to travel at different times of the year when there is often more capacity at attractions and hotels. This supports local businesses, particularly SMEs, local high streets and supports career opportunities.”

Pegasus Airlines was established in 1990 and adopted a low-cost model after being acquired by Turkish venture capital firm ESAS Holding in 2005.

It is now Turkey’s leading budget carrier, serving 150 destinations in 53 countries, including 37 domestic and 113 international routes. It operates a fleet of 112 aircraft, all but nine of them from the Airbus A320 family of planes.

It operates mainly through its primary hub at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, which is on the Asian side of the city.

Pictured, from left: Mustafa Serdar Tekin, Head of Schedule and Slot Co-Ordination, Pegasus; Elifnur Dogruoz – Group Head of Network Planning and Airline Collaborations, Pegasus; Rupert Lawrie, Commercial Director, Bristol Airport; Shaun Brown, Head of Airline Relations, Bristol Airport; Dave Lees, Chief Executive, Bristol Airport; and Kivanc Meroglu, Network Planning Specialist, Pegasus