Boeing

Pegasus Airlines is the first airline in Turkey to receive delivery of a new Boeing 737-800 with performance-enhancing blended winglets. The new jetliner is being leased through GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

Pegasus Airlines, the private charter company based in Istanbul, Turkey, was founded in 1990. Pegasus currently operates in more than 60 airports in 23 countries.

"We selected the 737-800 so we can continue to offer our customers the latest in comfort and reliability and at the same time achieve the performance and cost efficiencies we need," said L. J. Lowth, general manager of Pegasus Airlines. "This is an unbeatable combination. The addition of the blended winglets will increase the distance these remarkable airplanes can fly, and will measurably lower our fuel costs."

Including this new airplane, the Pegasus fleet includes 12 Boeing 737-800s and eight 737-400s.

"The new 737 family is the most popular and best-selling airplane in the world. It offers the latest in design and the most-advanced technology," said Doug Groseclose, senior vice president of International Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The Boeing 737 is unrivalled for its reputation of reliability, passenger comfort and the lowest operating costs in the single-aisle market. Pegasus Airlines' decision to fly the 737-800 with winglets will continue to enhance the performance of its fleet and will help reduce its costs as it has for carriers around the world."

The blended winglet technology for the Boeing 737-800 was designed and developed by Aviation Partners Inc., in cooperation with The Boeing Company. The blended winglets on the 737-800 curve out and up from the wingtip, reducing aerodynamic drag and boosting performance. The blended winglets potentially improve fuel efficiency (3.5 to 4 percent reduced fuel burn on missions greater than 1,000 nautical miles), increase range and improve takeoff performance and obstacle clearance. The winglets also reduce noise near airports and lower engine-maintenance costs.

The 737-800 can fly up to 2,905 nautical miles (5,380 kilometers) in a one-class configuration and features an all-new, spacious Boeing 777-style interior. The new 737 family (737-600/ -700/ -800/ -900) is the most recently designed and most technologically advanced family in the single-aisle market. With the lowest operating costs in its class, the 737 offers exceptional flexibility in size, mission, superior reliability and maintainability. It is the best selling commercial airplane in the world.