Turkish low-cost carrier has ordered up to 200 737 MAX aircraft on December 19, 2024.
The order consists of 100 firm orders plus options for the same amount. Pegasus opted for the 737-10 — the largest of the 737 MAX family, allowing up to 230 passengers. The total value of the contract is approximately $36bn, based on Boeing's current list prices.
Deliveries for the aircraft are scheduled from 2028.
“Boeing aircraft have been an integral part of our operations since Pegasus entered the aviation industry in 1990,” said Pegasus Airlines CEO Guliz Ozturk. “We are pleased to be expanding our fleet with the new Boeing 737-10 model aircraft. We continue to invest in our fleet in line with our growth targets in Turkiye and globally, and to expand our network by launching new routes.”
Pegasus Airlines launched operations with the 737 nearly 35 years ago. The order for its next generation 737s will support its network expansion across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
Ozturk added: “We will be evaluating converting the remaining 100 aircraft options into firm orders in the coming years, based on market conditions and the needs of our fleet.”
The company said in a statement that the order was made after “extensive evaluations regarding aircraft requirements for 2028 and the following decade”.
At an Aviation Club lunch in June 2024, Pegasus vice chairperson of the board and managing director, as well as former CEO from 2016 to 2022, Mehmet Tevfik Nane said that the airline was still considering Boeing for its next order. Since 2012, the airline has ordered 150 A321neos with 16 expected to be delivered this year, as well as the remaining 52 through to 2029.
Nane said at the event that the airline: “If we want to continue to expand after 2029 and if we want to keep our fleet age at four and a half years: we have to order new aircraft.”
At the time, rumours were swirling that Pegasus was swaying towards Boeing for its next order — now confirmed to be true.
Nane continued at the event: “If you make an order with Airbus today, the delivery date would start in 2030-31, but if you order with Boeing it starts from 2028-29.”
Ozturk said the order will “open new doors” and create production and export opportunities for both Turkish manufacturers and the wider aviation industry. The company added that the order will support its drive towards 2050 sustainability goals.