Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus Airlines has launched a new non-stop service between Graz, the Styrian capital, and Istanbul, Turkey's cultural capital. The flights will be offered three times a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This new route is intended to offer travelers greater choice and improved connectivity to Pegasus Airlines' extensive route network.
Pegasus Airlines' main hub is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), which, with over 41 million passengers, is the second-busiest airport in Turkey after Istanbul Airport. Emre Pekesen, Group Director of Sales and Network Planning at Pegasus Airlines, expressed his delight at the new connection: "We are delighted to connect two such culturally diverse destinations as Graz and Istanbul with our new Pegasus route. Our guests now have a wider choice of destinations, whether traveling for business or pleasure." He also highlighted Pegasus Airlines' modern fleet and pointed out its extensive route network, which extends across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, including popular Turkish summer destinations such as Bodrum, Izmir, Antalya, and Dalaman.
The flight time between Graz and Istanbul is just two hours and 15 minutes. This allows passengers easy access to Pegasus' growing route network with numerous national and international flights. The city of Istanbul itself, which spans two continents, is highlighted as a fascinating travel destination. City Councilor Manfred Eber emphasized the positive effects of the non-stop connection for Graz: "The non-stop connection between Graz and Istanbul offers more choice for travelers and makes our city even more visible internationally. Not only tourists benefit from this, but also companies with international contacts. Such offers make Graz more attractive – as a travel destination, business location, and place to live."
Wolfgang Malik, CEO of Holding Graz, emphasized the expanded travel options offered by Sabiha Gökçen Airport as a new hub in the south. In addition to the more than 30 destinations already included in Graz Airport's 2025 summer flight schedule, travelers now have access to a further 151 destinations in 54 countries. Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director of Graz Airport, explained that Pegasus Airlines offers connecting flights from Sabiha Gökçen to over 30 destinations within Turkey and to many interesting destinations, for example, in Asia and Africa, with transfer times of no more than three hours. This new connection thus complements the major hubs such as Frankfurt, Vienna, and Munich that have been accessible via scheduled flights for years, allowing passengers from Graz to reach more than 200 destinations worldwide.
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