AirAsia has launched its first-ever codeshare partnership with Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, linking Southeast Asia and Europe via Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport as of September 2, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].

The initial phase covers five European cities: London Stansted, Moscow Vnukovo, Ankara Esenboga, Zurich, and Athens. AirAsia Group Chief Commercial Officer Amanda Woo said, "The partnership will kick off with five European destinations, namely Stansted (London), Vnukovo (Moscow), Esenboga (Ankara), Zurich (Switzerland) and Athens (Greece)" [2].

Under the agreement, passengers can book a single ticket and enjoy through-checked baggage on flights connecting through Istanbul, operated by Airbus A330 aircraft [4, 2]. Pegasus CEO Guliz Ozturk noted, "Our guests can now reach Kuala Lumpur seamlessly and connect from there to more than 140 destinations across the Asia-Pacific region through AirAsia’s network," emphasizing seamless Asia-Europe travel via Istanbul [4].

Currently, AirAsia operates four weekly Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul flights on the route launched by AirAsia X in November 2025 [4]. Flight frequency will increase to seven weekly flights by February 2027 as part of this partnership [2, 3, 4].

The codeshare arrangement will progressively expand access to roughly 160 destinations in 56 countries through the combined AirAsia-Pegasus network [2, 3, 4]. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, owned by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, connects over 117 international and 40 domestic locations and serves as Pegasus’ European hub [2, 3].

Bo Lingam, AirAsia Group CEO, described the deal as a milestone aligned with AirAsia's 25th anniversary, marking its growth into a global travel network. He said, "By connecting our extensive network across Asia with Pegasus’ strong European network from Istanbul, spanning 160 destinations across 56 countries, we are making Europe more accessible to our guests" [4].

Further expansion is expected throughout 2027 to new European cities including Munich, Prague, Madrid, Vienna, Barcelona, Manchester and Edinburgh via Istanbul [2, 3]. The partnership aims to deepen connectivity between ASEAN and Europe using the complementary networks of both carriers.