Pegasus Airlines (PC, Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen) has confirmed it is looking to establish a major base at Istanbul's third international airport, currently expected to open in October 2018.

Chief Commercial Officer Guliz Ozturk told Bloomberg in an interview that Pegasus Airlines would deploy a “considerable fleet” to the facility once a third runway opens in about 2020.

“We plan to fly both domestically and internationally out of the new airport if we can get the slots and infrastructure,” she said.

Management has, in the past, kept coy on its plans for the airfield even suggesting it may avoid using it altogether.

For its part, Istanbul's new international gateway will replace the congested Istanbul Atatürk once fully operational. Current plans anticipate a throughput capacity of 150 million passengers/annum handled across four terminals and six 3,750 metre-long runways.

Pegasus Airlines currently has its primary hub at Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen where almost sixty of its fleet of twelve A320-200s, eleven A320neo, and fifty-one B737-800s, are deployed. Other bases include Ankara Esenboga, Antalya, Izmir Adnan Menderes, and Lefkosa (Northern Cyprus).