Turkish airline makes debut at Bristol Airport with new Istanbul service taking off this summer – South West

Turkey’s fastest-growing airline is to launch direct flights from Bristol Airport to Istanbul this summer as competition on routes to the holiday hot spot heats up.

Pegasus Airlines will operate the service three times a week, putting it in competition with UK low-cost airline easyJet, which flies to Istanbul twice weekly.

Pegasus’ flights will land at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport rather than the larger Istanbul International Airport, which is used by most UK operators.

Pegasus, which already flies to Turkey from London Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester, said as a major hub airport, Sabiha Gokcen International was used by millions of passengers to explore countries across Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

The airline said it will also provide onward connections to many locations in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Georgia.

Pegasus also has an extensive domestic flight network across Turkey to top summer holiday destinations such as Antalya, Bodrum, Izmir and Dalaman. The first flights to and from Bristol will start on 8 July and are now available to book.

Turkey is a major – and fast-growing – destination for Bristol Airport. Five airlines – easyJet, jet2, Tui, Corendon Airlines and SunExpress Airline – fly up to 18 times a week from Bristol to Antalya, the country’s ‘capital of tourism’ and gateway to the country’s popular southern Mediterranean region.

Bodrum is served up to five times a week from Bristol by easyJet and Jet2 while Tui, jet2 and easyJet fly to Izmir once a week.

Bristol Airport chief executive Dave Lees said: “We’re delighted to welcome Pegasus Airlines to Bristol Airport, which will open up an extensive range of destinations for onward travel to countries including Turkey, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“It will also allow for more visitors to explore our local region, who would previously have visited the UK through London airports.

“This is good news for inbound tourism; for those who want to connect with family and friends; and for businesses in the South West and South Wales who have overseas interests.”

Pegasus said the year-round service would not only provide people with opportunities to explore new destinations from Bristol Airport without to travel to London airports, but would also enable inbound visitors from a raft of countries to easily visit the South West, providing a welcome boost for regional tourism.

Kathryn Davis, chief executive of Visit West, the region’s destination marketing organisation, welcomed the additional airline service from Bristol Airport.

She said: “The visitor economy is critically important to the economic success of Bristol, Bath, and the wider West of England region. With Pegasus Airlines providing a year-round service, there will be opportunities for visitors to travel at different times of the year when there is often more capacity at attractions and hotels. This supports local businesses, particularly SMEs, local high streets and supports career opportunities.”