Turkey's Pegasus plans major base at new Istanbul airport

Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines plans to establish a major base at the new Istanbul airport scheduled to open late next year, helping the discount specialist to attract passengers from the European side of the city where rival Turkish Airlines currently dominates. Pegasus is likely to station a “considerable fleet” at the airport after a third runway opens in about 2020, CCO Guliz Ozturk said. While the hub will cater to 90m travelers a year, rising to as many as 150m, the airline hasn’t until now said it will have a significant presence. Pegasus currently bases almost 60 aircraft at Istanbul’s secondary Sabiha Gokcen airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, where the catchment totals about 8m people, compared with 10m on the European side.<br/>