October 6, 2026 — Pegasus Airlines (PC) has put two of its own executives in charge of Smartwings (QS), days after closing its purchase of the Czech leisure carrier and sister airline Czech Airlines (OK).
What happened
AeroTime and FlightGlobal reported on October 5 that Emre Pekesen is the new chief executive of Smartwings and Nur Karabacak the new chief financial officer. Both took up their posts on October 1, the day the takeover closed.
Pekesen joined Pegasus in 2010 and has run group sales and network planning since 2022. Karabacak joined in 2018 and has led budget, reporting and cost control since 2019. The reports do not say what happens to the executives they replace: TBA.
Pegasus completed the acquisition on October 1 after receiving all regulatory approvals. The price has not been disclosed. FlightGlobal notes the deal closed about ten months after Pegasus first emerged as a bidder.
The combined group
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deal closed | October 1, 2026 |
| New Smartwings CEO and CFO | Emre Pekesen and Nur Karabacak, effective October 1, 2026 |
| Combined fleet | More than 175 aircraft |
| Aircraft on firm order | 140 |
| Pegasus network | 161 destinations in 57 countries |
| Smartwings network | 80 destinations in 20 countries |
| Brands | Smartwings and Czech Airlines both stay |
| Network or integration changes | None announced; timeline TBA |
Smartwings keeps running its own day-to-day operation in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Pegasus chief executive Güliz Öztürk said the airlines can “offer our guests more choice than any of us could alone.”
What it means for non-revs
- Nothing changes yet for staff travel. No announcement covers employee travel benefits, ZED fares or interline agreements at Smartwings, Czech Airlines or Pegasus. Existing agreements stand until the airlines say otherwise.
- Employees of the three airlines: reciprocal travel across the group is a normal step after a takeover, but none has been announced. Watch your own staff travel portal instead of assuming.
- If your carrier has an agreement with Czech Airlines or Smartwings, check that it is still listed before you plan around it. New owners often review partner agreements, and the review can cut either way.
- A network planner now runs Smartwings. Schedule changes out of Prague are a reasonable thing to watch for over the coming seasons. That is an inference from the appointment, not an announced plan.
- Why it matters to airline folks: a Turkish low-cost carrier now owns the Czech flag-carrier brand and a combined fleet of more than 175 aircraft with 140 more on order.
Sources
- AeroTime — Pegasus Airlines installs new CEO and CFO at Smartwings following takeover
- FlightGlobal — Smartwings names new chief executive and finance head
- FlightGlobal — Pegasus completes acquisition of Czech Airlines and Smartwings
- Aviation24.be — Pegasus completes acquisition of Czech Airlines and Smartwings
- Runway Girl Network — Press Release: Pegasus completes acquisition of Czech and Smartwings
- Asian Aviation — Airline News in Brief 06 October 2026
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