Pegasus Airlines has put two of its own senior managers in charge of Smartwings, days after completing its takeover of the Czech airline group. Emre Pekesen has become chief executive officer of Smartwings and Nur Karabacak its chief financial officer, with both appointments effective from 1 October 2026.
Smartwings announced the changes on 2 October, saying it was "entering a new chapter with two new leadership appointments", AeroTime reported.
Two long-serving Pegasus executives
Pekesen moves to Prague after more than 16 years at Pegasus. He joined the Turkish low-cost carrier in 2010 as sales director and has served as group director of sales and network planning since 2022, giving him deep experience in the commercial side of a fast-growing point-to-point airline.
Karabacak joined Pegasus in 2018 as investor relations manager and has been group head of budget, reporting and cost control since 2019. Her background in reporting and cost control fits the task of integrating a newly acquired airline into a listed group's finance processes.
"We thank both for their valuable contributions to Pegasus over the years and wish them every success in their new roles at Smartwings," the company said in a statement.
According to the Czech news agency ΔTK, Pekesen replaces Roman Vik as head of Smartwings, while Karabacak succeeds JiΕΓ JurΓ‘n as finance chief.
Takeover closed on 1 October
The appointments took effect on the same day Pegasus completed its acquisition of Czech Airlines and the Smartwings Group, after receiving all required regulatory approvals and meeting customary closing conditions. Aviator reported the purchase price at β¬142.3 million.
The deal gives Pegasus a foothold in Central Europe. The combined group has a fleet of more than 175 aircraft, and the two airlines already have firm orders covering 140 more.
"Our story began with a dream of a world where everyone can fly, and today, Pegasus Airlines and Smartwings come together to take that ambition forward," said Pegasus CEO GΓΌliz ΓztΓΌrk. "Together we can grow further and offer our guests more choice than any of us could alone."
The Smartwings brand stays
Smartwings spokesperson VladimΓra DufkovΓ‘ said the airline will continue to operate under its established brand, keeping its day-to-day operations, customer relationships and services, ΔTK reported. Smartwings co-founder JiΕΓ Ε imΓ‘nΔ described Pegasus as the right partner to support future growth and to create long-term value for everyone connected with both companies.
For passengers, that means no immediate visible change: Smartwings flights from Prague and its other bases continue to be sold and operated under the Smartwings name, while Czech Airlines remains part of the group.
What to watch next
Putting a Pegasus network planner at the top of Smartwings suggests that schedule and commercial coordination between the two carriers will be an early focus. Pegasus has not yet published detailed integration plans, route changes or fleet decisions for the Czech group, and Aviation Shop News will not speculate on them.
Key questions for the months ahead include how the two airlines will align their networks between Turkey and Central Europe, and how the group will combine its fleets and order books, which together already cover 140 firm aircraft orders. Any announcements from the new management team on those points will be the first clear signal of how Pegasus intends to use its new Czech platform.
Comments
Loading commentsβ¦