UK Travellers Get New Türkiye Route as Pegasus Airlines Begins Daily London Gatwick to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Flights

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Pegasus Airlines has launched daily direct flights between London Gatwick and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen for the summer 2026 season, giving Türkiye a stronger air bridge with the United Kingdom. The new route began in mid-June and operates from Gatwick South Terminal. It adds another London gateway to Pegasus Airlines’ existing Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen–London Stansted service. The route supports leisure travel, business links, visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic and onward journeys across Pegasus Airlines’ wider network of 160 destinations in 56 countries.

Türkiye Gains A Stronger London Air Bridge

Türkiye has gained a fresh boost in its UK aviation network as Pegasus Airlines starts daily direct flights between London Gatwick and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. The new service gives passengers in London, Southeast England and wider UK catchment areas another direct route into Istanbul, one of Türkiye’s most important aviation, tourism and business hubs.

The route is important because it does not only connect two airports. It connects two large travel markets. London is one of Europe’s most competitive outbound travel centres. Istanbul is both a major city destination and a connecting gateway into Türkiye, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of Europe.

For Pegasus Airlines, the Gatwick launch deepens its presence in the UK. For London Gatwick, the arrival of Pegasus Airlines adds another carrier and another Istanbul option during a busy summer period. For Türkiye, the flight strengthens inbound tourism access from one of its highest-value European source markets.

New Gatwick To Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Flight Schedule

The daily summer service operates between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and London Gatwick. Pegasus Airlines has scheduled the route to support same-day movement in both directions, with an Istanbul morning departure and a London afternoon departure.

The schedule gives UK travellers an evening arrival in Istanbul. This is useful for short breaks, family visits and onward connections. It also gives Türkiye-origin passengers a mid-afternoon arrival at Gatwick, allowing onward surface travel across London and the South East.

Why London Gatwick Matters For Pegasus Airlines

London Gatwick is a strategic airport for leisure, visiting-family travel and short-haul connectivity. It serves a large passenger base across London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and the wider South East. Its rail and coach links also allow travellers from outside London to use the airport without relying only on Heathrow or Stansted.

Pegasus Airlines already operates daily services between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and London Stansted. Gatwick therefore adds more airport choice rather than replacing the existing London connection. This is commercially useful because London is not a single-airport market. Different airports serve different catchment areas, price points and travel habits.

With Gatwick added, Pegasus Airlines can reach more passengers who prefer the South London and South East corridor. It also helps the airline compete for budget-conscious travellers who want direct access to Istanbul and onward destinations across Türkiye.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Becomes The Core Gateway

The route is centred on Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Pegasus Airlines’ primary hub. This makes the route more than a simple point-to-point link. It gives passengers access to the airline’s onward network, including 160 destinations in 56 countries and 39 destinations across Türkiye.

This is especially important for UK travellers planning multi-city trips. Passengers can use Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen to connect to Turkish coastal resorts, cultural cities and regional airports. Key leisure destinations include Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman, which are central to Türkiye’s summer travel economy.

The hub role also supports passengers travelling beyond Türkiye. Istanbul sits between Europe and Asia, allowing Pegasus Airlines to position Sabiha Gökçen as a practical transfer point for both leisure and business passengers.

UK–Türkiye Aviation Demand Shows Clear Market Depth

The new Gatwick route arrives in a market that already shows clear demand. UK Civil Aviation Authority data for December 2025 recorded 482,962 passengers travelling on UK–Türkiye reporting airport routes. Almost all of that traffic was scheduled rather than charter.

Stansted–Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen was one of the standout routes in the UK–Türkiye market, with 89,272 passengers in December 2025, up 19 per cent from December 2024. This matters because Pegasus Airlines already operates from Stansted to Sabiha Gökçen. The strong Stansted performance gives useful context for why a Gatwick service can make sense.

The data shows that London airports already hold strong demand for Istanbul and Turkish leisure routes. Gatwick’s existing Türkiye traffic base makes the new Pegasus link commercially relevant.

Sabiha Gökçen Passenger Growth Strengthens The Route Case

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen has also been expanding as a major passenger gateway. Turkish airport statistics show that the airport handled 19,313,385 passengers from January to May 2026. This was a 7 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.

The airport recorded 8,766,427 domestic passengers and 10,546,958 international passengers in the same January–May 2026 period. This balance is important. It shows that Sabiha Gökçen is not only a domestic Turkish airport. It is also a major international gateway.

This growth gives Pegasus Airlines a stronger base for additional UK flights. It also shows that Istanbul’s second major airport continues to play a larger role in Türkiye’s international travel economy.

Tourism Impact For Türkiye

The new Gatwick route has direct tourism value for Türkiye. It expands access from the UK at the start of the summer season, when demand for city breaks, beach holidays and family travel rises sharply.

Istanbul benefits first. The city attracts leisure travellers through heritage, food, shopping, cultural districts and Bosphorus experiences. But the wider benefit goes beyond Istanbul. Pegasus Airlines’ domestic network allows travellers to continue to resort and regional destinations across Türkiye.

This means the Gatwick service can support hotel stays in Istanbul, package extensions to coastal regions and independent travel into smaller Turkish cities. It can also help travel agents build multi-stop itineraries that combine Istanbul with Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Izmir or Cappadocia-linked routes.

What This Means For The UK Travel Trade

For the UK travel trade, the route adds more sellable inventory into Türkiye. It supports city breaks, summer holidays, fly-and-stay packages, VFR travel and onward itineraries. The fare-led Pegasus model also gives agents and online travel sellers another price-sensitive option.

Gatwick’s South Terminal operation gives passengers access to a familiar short-haul airport process. Gatwick also promotes direct access to more than 225 destinations, while its summer network includes around 230 destination choices. This gives the airport a strong platform for airline growth and route marketing.

The route may also help spread London–Istanbul traffic across more airports. Passengers in the South East who previously used Stansted, Heathrow or other London airports now have another option.

Strategic Route Summary

Outlook

Pegasus Airlines’ London Gatwick–Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen launch is a targeted expansion in a market with proven demand. The route strengthens Türkiye’s visibility in the UK, gives London travellers another direct Istanbul option and supports onward travel across Pegasus Airlines’ wider network.

The timing is also commercially strong. Summer 2026 is a high-demand period for Türkiye travel, and Gatwick gives Pegasus Airlines access to one of the UK’s most important outbound leisure regions. If the route performs well, it could become an important part of the airline’s long-term London strategy and a useful growth channel for Türkiye’s tourism sector.