Pegasus Airlines (PC, Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen) is contemplating setting up carriers with their own Air Operator's Certificates (AOCs) in other countries as its fleet continues to grow, Chief Executive Güliz Öztürk said during the Routes World 2023 event.

"Our growth can be accelerated by looking at those opportunities," she said.

She revealed that Pegasus Airlines is looking to focus its growth in the east. As many countries in Asia have relatively restrictive bilateral air services agreements with Türkiye, Pegasus has conditioned its strategy on either securing more traffic rights or expanding through subsidiary carriers. The airline is also looking at Eastern Europe, with Poland, Czechia, and Romania listed as potential markets where it could launch new subsidiaries, Öztürk added, according to Airways Magazine.

The Turkish LCC acquired a 49% stake in Kyrgyzstan's Air Manas in 2013, using it as a platform to launch a joint venture under the Pegasus Asia brand. It divested from the JV in 2019. Pegasus Asia operated just one B737-400 and one B737-800 transferred from the Turkish parent.

Pegasus Airlines had also considered launching a Ukrainian unit, but the plans did not materialise.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows the LCC recently grew its fleet to 100+ aircraft including six A320-200s, forty-six A320-200Ns, thirty-five A321-200NX, and fifteen B737-800s.