Following the temporary suspension of flights at the end of March in response to COVID-19 the Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines has resumed domestic flights and is currently operating 39 domestic routes to 27 destinations in Turkey.

It is flying from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen to Antalya, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bodrum, Trabzon, Van, Dalaman, Kayseri, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Gazipaşa, Hatay, Konya, Malatya, Samsun, Muş, Ordu-Giresun, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, Erzurum, Batman, Erzincan, Mardin and Kars. There are also flights from Izmir to Adana, Ankara, Mardin, Elazığ, Kayseri, Samsun and Trabzon; as well as from Adana to Trabzon, Antalya, Bodrum and Van; and from Ankara to Antalya and Bodrum.

“We are really pleased to be relaunching our flights following their temporary suspension as part of the restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pegasus Airlines CEO Mehmet T. Nane. “It has only been our flights, not us, which have stopped during this uncertain time, which has seemed to us like years rather than months. We have worked continuously for the days when we would be reunited with our guests. We are therefore delighted to have relaunched our domestic flights after this period of restrictions… In the next phase we will also gradually increase our schedule to include further domestic routes, as well as restarting international flights,” he added.

Explaining the changes embraced by the airline as we move into this next phase of recovery, Nane said:

The HES code is a new requirement  that has been developed as part of the new measures from the Turkish Ministry of Health so that our guests can fly safely within Turkey; and to ensure that travel is managed during situations of increased risk. Under these new measures, it will not be possible to book tickets, check-in online or at the airport, and thus to travel on domestic flights without the HES code. In addition, all our guests will be required to wear masks at the airport and on board the aircraft. There will be temperature checks at the airport. Our staff at the check-in counters will be assisting guests wearing visors. These and other similar measures will now be part of our lives, and we will continue to keep you informed as we progress.

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