Pegasus Airlines (PC, Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen) has secured conditional Czech competition clearance for its acquisition of České aerolinie a.s., which controls Smartwings Group, the Czech competition regulator (Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže - UOHS) said on September 11, 2026.

The decision was issued in late August but was not yet final because the appeals period remained open. The approval requires Pegasus Airlines to transfer some summer slots on the Prague Václav Havel-Antalya route to another airline.

The UOHS identified competition concerns in scheduled nonstop services between the two cities, warning that the combined group would have a "very high" market share and a significant lead over competitors. It also found that expected entry by additional airlines had not materialised.

For the seven days starting September 21, 2026, ch-aviation capacities data show Smartwings (Czechia) accounting for 65.6% of scheduled seat capacity on the route with 3,940 seats, followed by SunExpress (XQ, Antalya) at 22% and Pegasus at 12.4%.

The slot transfer requirement covers both Prague and Antalya and is intended to give competing airlines access to suitable slot pairs on the route. Asked to provide additional information, a UOHS spokesperson declined for now, noting that a public decision is due "within the next few weeks".

The Czech proceedings opened in May following an application by Pegasus Europe B.V. to acquire sole control of České aerolinie and its subsidiaries. Pegasus established the Dutch vehicle for the acquisition in December 2025.

Smartwings is wholly owned by České aerolinie a.s., which formerly ran CSA Czech Airlines and now functions as a holding company. CSA is no longer a certificated carrier and exists solely as a brand within the group. The transaction also covers Smartwings' AOCs in Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

As previously reported by ch-aviation, Pegasus Airlines agreed to acquire Smartwings Group for EUR154 million euros (USD178 million), including assigned receivables and subject to closing adjustments. It subsequently secured Turkish competition clearance in July 2026.