The Turkish carrier Pegasus Airlines has announced it is carrying out relief flights to support the earthquake-affected zones throughout Turkey. On February 6, a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and western Syria, which has led to over 12,000 deaths in total.
Helping the affected zones
Between February 6 and 8, 2023, Pegasus Airlines operated a total of 22 relief flights and 86 civilian passenger flights. The company is coordinating its efforts with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and official aid authorities to deliver aid and emergency supplies to the regions and evacuate those affected. On Tuesday, Pegasus announced that emergency aid equipment was being transported to the affected areas from Sabiha Gökçen Airport free of charge.
Additionally, all Pegasus Airlines direct domestic flights departing from Adana, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Kayseri, Malatya, and Åžanlıurfa airports can be booked free of charge up to and including February 12. The passengers won’t pay taxes either for these services.
Yesterday Turkish Airlines set a fixed rate for airfare into and out of the affected regions at 100 Turkish liras (around US$5.30). The flag carrier said this is affordable and enough to help cover some operating costs.
Pegasus Airlines has also donated five million Turkish liras to AFAD to support those affected by the earthquake and three million Turkish liras to the Ahbap Association on behalf of its employees.
Do you need a refund? Pegasus Airlines has your back!
Pegasus Airlines announced that travelers who had made bookings to travel to KahramanmaraÅŸ and the affected surrounding provinces are entitled to change, including to an open ticket, and cancel their flights for travel between February 6 and 21, free of charge via the company’s website or mobile app. The airline added that the refund process will continue until March 31, even if the flight dates have passed.
Turkish Airlines’ efforts
On Wednesday, Turkish Airlines announced that it had operated 83 aid flights and 19 cargo services, totaling 102 flights. Yesterday, Turkish evacuated 19,050 people, and the carrier planned to evacuate 30,000 more on Wednesday with its scheduled flights.
The State carrier will continue working in cooperation with the relevant authorities to provide Turkish citizens with round-trip transportation to and from the earthquake zones. Turkish added that it had removed the reservation requirement for its evacuation flights and kindly asked its passengers to wait for guidance from authorized personnel at the airports.
About 103,800 national personnel for disaster relief are in the earthquake zone, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The death toll from the devastating earthquake has risen to over 12,000 between Turkey and Syria in what is now believed to be one of the worst natural disasters of the century.
Do you wish to send aid and relief equipment to the earthquake-affected regions? Pegasus Airlines urges you to coordinate with Kızılay (The Turkish Red Crescent) and the local authorities to deliver the aid to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. You can send additional help through Turkey and Syria’s embassies in your country, the Red Cross, or other NGOs.