Pegasus Airlines is accelerating a shift to more fuel-efficient A320neo planes ordered from Airbus as a spate of terrorist attacks in the country hurts demand and curbs revenue. The carrier, owned by Istanbul-based private equity firm Esas Holding, will start selling older Boeing 737 jets following Turkey’s worst year for tourism in a decade, CE Mehmet Nane said. Pegasus, which currently operates 62 737-800s and a mix of 20 original-generation A320s and re-engined Neos, plans to add at least 18 aircraft over the next 3 years while eliminating the Boeing planes and reducing the average age of its fleet to 5.2 years from 5.6. Pegasus now aims to take 5 A320neos this year, 2 more than originally planned. That will lift the number of Neos in operation to 9 following a 2012 order for 75 plus 25 options. <br/>
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Turboprop maker ATR has completed commercial negotiations with IranAir for the sale of at least 20 aircraft and expects to be able to sign a contract very soon, the head of the aircraft maker said Friday. The deal will come after Iran, which had not directly purchased a Western-built plane in nearly 40 years, signed contracts with Airbus and Boeing last year to purchase about 180 jets. “We have concluded the negotiations and we should sign the contract imminently,” ATR CE Christian Scherer said. Scherer was responding to some Iranian media reports Friday that ATR had already announced the signature of the keenly awaited deal. IranAir and ATR have spent months negotiating a firm order for 20 ATR 72-600 aircraft worth E540m at list prices, with options for another 20. <br/>
AirAsia has denied wrongdoing after an inquiry into corruption at Rolls-Royce found that the engine maker failed to prevent its employees from bribing an AirAsia executive with a US$3.2m discount for the maintenance of a private jet part-owned by Tony Fernandes, the airline’s co-founder. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office charged that Rolls-Royce failed to prevent staff from paying a credit “despite those employees believing that, in consequence, the AAG executive intended to perform a relevant function improperly.” This discount was given at the request of an AirAsia executive in return for his “showing favour” towards Rolls-Royce in the purchase of products and services, said the SFO. AirAsia’s denial comes after Rolls-Royce last week admitted a string of bribery and corruption offences stretching over 23 years. <br/>
European charter airlines have begun an emergency evacuation of their nationals from The Gambia, following rising fears of an armed conflict about to break out in West African country. Thomas Cook Airlines said it had operated 16 flights in 3 days to extract all 3,500 of its customers, with most being emergency services. Titan Airways operated its scheduled 2 weekly flights to The Gambia to retrieve passengers. TUIfly Netherlands and its Belgian sister company together retrieved more than 1,100 people, with the Dutch carrier making 4 flights Jan 18 instead of its normal single rotation. TUIfly said it had called in aircraft, including a Boeing 777, from other carriers to help airlift customers. Further flights by other carriers are understood to be operating into The Gambia’s capital, Banjul, Jan 21 to airlift the remaining few foreign tourists. <br/>