A somewhat surprising news comes from Turkey, where Pegasus is ordering 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10s with an additional 100 options. What is surprising is the fact that the airline is in the process of transitioning from a fleet of Boeing 737NG aircraft to the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and currently has 46 Airbus A320neo aircraft, 6 A320ceo, 56 A321neo and only 9 Boeing 737-800 aircraft in its fleet. An additional interesting fact is that the A320 fleet is on average 6.2 years old, and the A321 is only 1.9 years old (according to data taken from airfleets.net).
Boeing certainly sold the aircraft below the estimated selling price, probably to create a “critical mass” of orders with which to urge American institutions to accelerate the certification process. Boeing currently has more than 1,600 orders for all 737 MAX aircraft models.
The largest model in the 737 MAX family, the 737-10 can carry up to 230 passengers with a range of up to 5,740 km (3,100 nautical miles), while reducing fuel consumption and emissions by 20% compared to the aircraft it replaces. The aircraft’s efficiency and flexibility will allow Pegasus Airlines to serve more passengers on more routes at the lowest cost per seat of any single-aisle aircraft, Boeing said in a press release.
“Boeing aircraft have been an integral part of our business since Pegasus entered the airline industry in 1990,” said Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines. “We are pleased to expand our fleet with the new Boeing 737-10 aircraft model. We continue to invest in our fleet in line with our growth goals in Turkey and globally, and to expand our network by launching new routes.”
Öztürk added: “As part of our contract with Boeing, we have ordered a total of 200 Boeing 737-10 aircraft. The first 100 aircraft are firm orders, and we will evaluate the conversion of the remaining 100 aircraft options into firm orders in the coming years, based on market conditions and our fleet needs.”
First deliveries are expected as early as 2028.
