How Turkish Carrier Pegasus Airlines Managed the Airbus Crisis

After Airbus released a safety-critical software update for its A320 series aircraft, all affected Airbus planes around the world were grounded. When the update became mandatory for the Airbus models in Pegasus Airlines’ fleet, A320 operations at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport were temporarily suspended. Pegasus’ technical teams focused on quickly updating all Airbus aircraft and returning them to service after necessary checks.

➡️ As traffic increased, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport opened the 600 and 800 parking positions. Cobus buses and ground-handling equipment were moved onto the apron, and all units were dispatched to keep operations running. Teams worked to reduce passenger waiting times, moving aircraft into parking positions as quickly as possible.

There were moments when stairs couldn’t reach the aircraft in time or baggage unloading was delayed, but the operations teams maintained coordination and kept the process under control. While guest-services staff informed passengers about the situation, employees did their best to ease tension through direct communication.

After roughly 4 to 6 hours of intense effort, Pegasus teams brought operations back to normal. The situation caused major congestion at airports worldwide, and many other airlines also struggled with similar crises.