Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines announced on 8 December that it will acquire 100 % of Czech Airlines and its operational brand Smartwings for €154 million. The surprise deal comes after months of speculation that Warsaw-based LOT Polish Airlines would become the new owner—an outcome that many Polish officials quietly preferred for regional connectivity reasons.
Smartwings currently operates 45 Airbus and Boeing narrow-bodies and carries more than five million passengers a year on leisure routes that overlap with LOT’s charter arm. A domestic takeover would have given LOT instant scale in Central Europe and additional slots at congested airports such as Prague and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
![LOT Polish Airlines Outmanoeuvred as Pegasus Buys Smartwings/Czech Airlines]()
For Polish business travellers the Pegasus victory has mixed implications. On the one hand, the Turkish carrier promises to keep Smartwings as a standalone brand, preserving existing Prague-to-Warsaw frequencies that feed LOT’s long-haul network. On the other, Pegasus intends to funnel Czech leisure traffic through its Istanbul hub, potentially diverting connecting passengers away from LOT’s main base at Warsaw Chopin.
Industry analysts note that Pegasus’s stronger balance sheet could intensify fare competition on key summer sun routes out of Poland where Smartwings presently wet-leases capacity to Polish tour operators. Corporate travel managers should monitor schedule filings for summer 2026: a reshuffling of aircraft could affect seat availability on traditional Warsaw-Prague day-return flights used by consultants and bankers.
Smartwings currently operates 45 Airbus and Boeing narrow-bodies and carries more than five million passengers a year on leisure routes that overlap with LOT’s charter arm. A domestic takeover would have given LOT instant scale in Central Europe and additional slots at congested airports such as Prague and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
For Polish business travellers the Pegasus victory has mixed implications. On the one hand, the Turkish carrier promises to keep Smartwings as a standalone brand, preserving existing Prague-to-Warsaw frequencies that feed LOT’s long-haul network. On the other, Pegasus intends to funnel Czech leisure traffic through its Istanbul hub, potentially diverting connecting passengers away from LOT’s main base at Warsaw Chopin.
Industry analysts note that Pegasus’s stronger balance sheet could intensify fare competition on key summer sun routes out of Poland where Smartwings presently wet-leases capacity to Polish tour operators. Corporate travel managers should monitor schedule filings for summer 2026: a reshuffling of aircraft could affect seat availability on traditional Warsaw-Prague day-return flights used by consultants and bankers.
