Team size: Four

What are the most significant transactions/projects that you have been involved in recently?

In 2021 we witnessed the continuing impact of COVID-19 on international aviation and air carriers, affecting passengers, employees, and investors alike. Pegasus Airlines continued to respond to the negative implications of the pandemic on the travel industry by introducing operational, financial, commercial, and organisational measures. Health and safety and the employees’ well-being were guaranteed through office sanitisation, training, protective equipment, flexible work schemes, and personal and professional support. We have implemented the Covid-19 health protocols in accordance with WHO, the Turkish ministry of health, the Turkish general directorate of civil aviation, the ICAO, and the EASA. Pegasus became a signatory to EASA’s COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol, published in collaboration with the European Disease Prevention and Control Center (ECDC). Management actions for financially sustainable performance focused on sterile operations based on hygiene rules, agile planning, strong focus on CASK and cash management. Since the beginning of 2021, we have been involved in several corporate transactions that include our first domestic bond offering (₺260m with one-year maturity), our first Eurobond offering ($375m, with 5-year maturity), and the IPO of our 50 percent joint venture Hitit Computer Services on Borsa Istanbul.

How has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected the company and the team’s priorities?

In 2022 our department took over the responsibility of leading Corporate Sustainability efforts. Pegasus Airlines is the first Turkish airline signatory to the UN Global Compact and a longstanding member of the BIST Sustainability Index. We are among the leading airlines committed to “net-zero carbons emissions by 2050”. We have announced an interim carbon target (for 2030) and have supported IATA’s 25 by 2025 initiative to increase female representation across the industry workforce.