We Interviewed Mehmet T. Nane About Pegasus Airlnes' New Applications and Pandemic Process

Turkey's digital airline, Pegasus Airlines attracts attention with its innovations after the digital transformation it started in 2018. We conducted an interview with the General Manager of Pegasus Airlines Mehmet T. Nane on the measures taken during the pandemic period, sustainability and future plans of Pegasus. Pleasant reading.

HIS Travel: After working in different sectors for many years, you have made a quick entry into aviation. Were you ever interested in aviation? What was your formula when shaping your business processes and career in different disciplines?

Mehmet T. Nane: I have liked airplanes since I was a child. After I started my business life, I have always thought that aviation is a very interesting sector. However, I did not have any plans for a career in aviation until I moved to Pegasus Airlines. But now I think it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

As I shape my business processes and career in different disciplines, I always focus on my principles in my business life and my corporate personality characteristics that I have consolidated over the years. Such as being open to learning, supporting teamwork... Because these and similar preferences bring independent success to the sector.

HIS Travel: What would you like to say about the early days when your Pegasus Airlines story began?

Mehmet T. Nane: It was enjoyable and exciting to get to know new people, adapt to the dynamics of a new sector, and learn brand new information.

“With This Period, Technological Services and Self-Services Began to Be Demanded by the Wider Masses.”

HIS Travel: Last year, Pegasus Airlines was awarded the "Trust Seal in E-commerce” by The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). Today, all sectors continue to keep up with digital transformation. To what extent do you think the aviation sector has carried out this transformation?

Mehmet T. Nane: It is necessary to look at this question as before and after the pandemic. Although digital transformation has been one of the most trend topics in all sectors in recent years, this issue has gained serious momentum after the pandemic. Because the pandemic actually brought about a sociological change. Even individuals remaining distant from digital services have lived a very rapid technological adaptation. Employees who had never held online meetings before, met their teams online for the first time and connected to the meetings. Many innovations also came with it for guests traveling by airline. Our guests have started to use our self-services more for baggage and ticket processing. This and many similar experiences even reached the masses who were distant from technology. With this period, technological services and self-services began to be in demand by the wider masses.

From an aviation sector perspective, digital transformation has also helped to make travel safer during the pandemic. As Pegasus Airlines, we started our digital transformation in 2018. Today as "Turkey's digital airline", we offer unique innovations that will facilitate our guests' travel experiences through digital technologies in all our processes from A to Z. But the pandemic has brought a completely new dimension to the situation. During this period, we expanded our Express Baggage stations to support “travel with minimal contact”, which increased in importance. Our number of guests who receive self-service increased by 500% during the pandemic. Our guests, who were afraid of technological applications before, began to use new technologies with a very fast adaptation. We have seen a significant increase in the number of guests installing our mobile app.

“No Matter How Difficult the Conditions Are, We Will Continue to Work Hard for the Development of Our Sector With These and Similar Applications.”

HIS Travel: You were elected as president of the Audit Committee of IATA, the International Air Transport Association on January 19, 2021, and you were elected to the board of directors in 2019. It is a proud achievement for all of us that you represent us in such important tasks within IATA. As for the pandemic period, we know that IATA has been working to facilitate travel. Can we get some information on this?

Mehmet T. Nane: Our industry is going through a very difficult period, unprecedented in history. I am truly proud to be awarded to this important task and bear this great responsibility at such a time. As IATA, we perform our work with the aim of ensuring that air transport is carried out at the highest speed, safety, security, compliance and efficiency.

One of IATA's recent works is the IATA Travel Pass application. This is an app that allows guests to digitally store and manage the necessary medical documents on foreign travel, such as the COVID-19 Test. It combines the verification of health information in one place and thus aims to enable guests to experience a faster and safer travel process when it comes to foreign entry conditions that vary during the pandemic period. No matter how difficult the conditions are, we will continue to work hard for the development of our sector with these and similar applications.

HIS Travel: Within COVID-19 measures, we tried to inform our passengers about many health issues, especially HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters) during air travel. Can we get firsthand information about HEPA filters and the precautions you take inside the airplanes?

Mehmet T. Nane: Our airplanes are disinfected every 24 hours with disinfecting devices and chemicals effective against viruses for 10 days. Areas such as airplane trays, seats, overhead lockers, ventilation and lighting apparatus that are most commonly contacted are disinfected after each flight. We removed headrests, magazines and menu cards for a minimum contact surface in flight. Food is not served on domestic, primary packaged beverages are introduced to guests. On abroad, there are only foods that who open the package will touch for the first time. Purchases inside our airplanes are made only by credit card. The air on our airplanes is completely refreshed around every 3 minutes. The air in the cabin consists of clean and sterilized air, more than half of which is taken from the outside of the airolane and passes through the engine at 1,300 degrees, and the rest is a mixture of cleaned internal air through HEPA filters. With HEPA filters, airborne organisms and dust particles are filtered by more than 99.99%. The air flow is only top to bottom from the top of the seat to the ground. No airflow is formed forward or backward.

HIS Travel: Due to the pandemic, some countries update their travel procedures frequently. As Pegasus Airlines, do you give your guests the right to change on domestic and foreign flights? Will there be different applications waiting for passengers by 2021?

Mehmet T. Nane: The pandemic is a difficult period for everyone, and it is our duty to be with our guests during this difficult period. For this reason, we have offered them the right to change tickets without penalties until March 31, 2021. We have now extended this right until July 31, 2021. In other words, our guests' travel is now more flexible. They can benefit from the right to change all domestic and foreign tickets without penalties. If their travel plans change, they can change their tickets without paying a penalty, only paying the total fare differences between the two tickets or change the ticket to an open ticket without penalties.

HIS Travel: Pegasus Airlines, which reports on the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) platform, a voluntary international platform focused on combating climate change, raised its score to A- in 2020. Are there any projects that you are working on in terms of sustainability?

Mehmet T. Nane: As Pegasus Airlines, we are very happy to have raised the B score we received for 5 years to A- within the scope of the Carbon Transparency Project. It is another honor to be the company with the highest score in the transportation sector in Turkey and to be the 2nd among airlines globally. If we look at the aviation sector, the way our sector can combat climate change is through reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, we also fully comply with the regulations introduced by national and international authorities for our sector. In accordance with international regulations such as ICAO Corsia and the EU Emissions Trading System, which we are subject to, we ensure the monitoring, verification and reporting of total carbon emissions during the year. At the same time, we also have an obligation to receive balancing work or emission credits as much as the annual emission number reported. With these regulations, it is aimed to achieve carbon neutral growth in our sector.

More than balancing carbon emissions, reducing them at source is of greater importance to us. For this reason, we carry out emission reduction studies at the source of the process with operational measures such as renewing of the fleet, purchasing of low emission aircraft models, weight reduction studies on aircraft, optimization of routes. As Pegasus Airlines, we will continue to manage our operations and actions with a “sustainable environment” approach.

“We Are Starting Our Flights from Sabiha Gökçen to New Flight Destinations in Ukraine.”

HIS Travel: You continue to open new lines without slowing down, are there any lines that you plan to open for the next period?

Mehmet T. Nane: As of the end of March, we are starting to organize flights from Sabiha Gökçen to Odessa, our 5th flight destination in Ukraine. Antalya-Chisinau direct flights also start in April. At home, we start our Sabiha Gokçen-Iğdır flights as of May. As our permits are completed, we will continue to open our new lines and deliver our guests to the destinations they want to travel to with Turkey's youngest fleet.

HIS Travel: Can you share the locations that have very different meanings for you, and you think that it should be seen at the first opportunity?

Mehmet T. Nane: Bozburun comes first. Bozburun is a quiet, calm, hushed, blue-green paradise; it must be seen.

HIS Travel: We know that you love to cook and have a desire to study cookery. What lies at the root of this desire and love?

Mehmet T. Nane: Cooking is a good occupation for me to both clear my mind and enjoy with my family. For this reason, I enjoy cooking with my wife and children as much as I can, discovering new tastes.

“I Suggest Young People Firstly Develop Themselves with A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective, Regardless of the Subject They Are Studying.”

HIS Travel: What recommend you to young people who are thinking of entering the world of entrepreneurship with ideas focused on tourism and aviation?

Mehmet T. Nane: The world is now faster, more competitive, flatter and limitless. The new world expects more creative, fast, diverse and result-oriented jobs from professionals. Now the limits are much less, the values produced must be competitive with competitors from all parts of the world. I suggest young people firstly develop themselves with a multi-disciplinary perspective, regardless of the subject they are studying. It is very important that they evaluate positively the opportunities that will develop themselves and necessarily keep themselves open to development. I recommend that they develop a mind structure that can easily move between different disciplines, and act very quickly and result-oriented.

The civil aviation sector, due to its dynamic structure, is a challenging sector where change is constant. The pandemic showed that once again. For this reason, young friends who want to work in the aviation sector should have the ability to keep up with changes easily. In managing change, you also need to balance different aspects such as internal and external customers, authorities, regulation. In other words, balance is essential with change. Another important issue is the innovative approach. This is important for both customer experience, one of today's most critical issues, and efficiency.