Pegasus Airlines Completes Take-Over of Czech Airlines and Smartwings, Creating 175-Aircraft Group

Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines today closed its acquisition of Czech Airlines (ČSA) and the leisure group Smartwings after obtaining all regulatory clearances, the companies confirmed in a joint statement released in Istanbul and Prague. The combined group will operate a fleet of more than 175 aircraft, underpinned by existing orders for a further 140 narrow-bodies. Smartwings will keep its brand and management but gains access to Pegasus’ digital sales platforms and purchasing power, while Pegasus secures a Central-European base feeding its Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen hub. Together the airlines will serve 240 destinations in 67 countries. For Czech corporate travellers, the deal promises additional frequencies on high-demand business routes such as Prague–Istanbul, Prague–Tel Aviv and Prague–Dubai, plus new eastbound connections beyond Pegasus’ network into Central Asia and the Middle East. Network planners said Prague will become Pegasus’ fourth “digital focus city,” with an accelerated rollout of biometric boarding and dynamic ancillary pricing. Mobility teams should monitor forthcoming schedule changes: Pegasus plans to harmonise inventory and loyalty programmes within six months, meaning existing Smartwings corporate agreements will migrate to Pegasus’ GDS filings. The carrier also hinted at the eventual launch of a premium-economy ‘Comfort Flex’ product, which could affect travel-policy class-of-service thresholds. The acquisition arrives amid wider consolidation in Europe’s short-haul market and may prompt counter-moves from larger groups such as Lufthansa or Ryanair, which have significant market share in Prague. However, analysts note that Pegasus’ cost base is about 30 % lower than legacy carriers’, giving it room to stimulate new traffic rather than simply replace existing capacity.