Pegasus Airlines has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tüpraş for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The start of using SAF, which will be produced by Tüpraş for the first time in Türkiye and will have certification compliant with ICAO CORSIA criteria, will mark an important milestone in Pegasus’s 2050 Net Zero Carbon Emissions roadmap.
Tüpraş and Pegasus Airlines have signed an important memorandum of understanding to increase the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which will contribute to the decarbonisation of Türkiye’s aviation sector. While energy sector leader Tüpraş shapes Türkiye’s energy transition with its technological infrastructure and sustainability vision; Pegasus Airlines, which places sustainable aviation at the centre of its business model, is contributing to the construction of a low-carbon future in the aviation sector through this agreement, in line with its goal of reducing its carbon footprint.
In line with the signed agreement, Pegasus Airlines will use SAF, which Tüpraş will begin producing, in a certain portion of its operations. This cooperation contributes to Pegasus’s Net Zero Carbon Emissions roadmap, while setting a strong example for the development of SAF production and the widespread adoption of its consumption in Türkiye; it also serves SAF consumption regulations published in line with our country’s decarbonisation commitments to IATA / CORSIA.
In line with its Strategic Transformation Plan announced in 2021 under the motto “Our Energy for the Future” and revised in April 2025, Tüpraş continues its efforts with the goal of becoming Türkiye’s leading SAF producer. Within this scope, production will begin at the İzmir Refinery in 2026, initially utilising the production capabilities of existing facilities. SAF to be produced from vegetable and animal feedstocks will be compliant with ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) criteria and will be documented with internationally valid certifications. Meanwhile, in line with its 2050 Net Zero Carbon Emissions roadmap announced under the slogan “Our Route Is a Sustainable Future,” Pegasus is expanding the scope of its carbon reduction efforts through increasing domestic SAF use, in addition to energy-efficient fleet investments and operational efficiency initiatives.
In this way, while Pegasus Airlines advances its emission reduction targets in compliance with international standards; Tüpraş also takes an important step towards becoming Türkiye’s leading producer in the supply of today’s and future sustainable fuels, contributing to a sustainable future for Türkiye’s energy and aviation sectors.
Pegasus Airlines Chief Financial Officer Barbaros Kubatoğlu, in his evaluation of the cooperation, said: “In line with our sector’s global target of ‘net zero by 2050,’ we have been using SAF in increasing volumes and across a wider geography since 2022. Now, with our cooperation with Tüpraş, we will start using SAF produced in Türkiye in compliance with international standards. Through this, while taking an important step in our 2050 Net Zero Carbon Emissions roadmap, we will contribute to the development of a sustainable fuel ecosystem in our country.”
Tüpraş Executive Vice President Atilla Ulusu, in his statement regarding the cooperation agreement, said: “We are pleased both to contribute to our country’s carbon-neutral targets and to lead a low-carbon future in the aviation sector through the cooperation agreement we have realised with Pegasus Airlines in the field of SAF. In 2026, we will start SAF production at our İzmir Refinery by utilising the production capabilities of our existing facilities. This agreement with Pegasus constitutes a valuable step towards becoming Türkiye’s leading producer in the supply of both today’s and future sustainable fuels. In line with our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral energy leader by 2050; we continue our broad investment areas ranging from sustainable refining to zero-carbon electricity generation, and from SAF to green hydrogen technologies, with determination, and we continue to lead our country’s and the sector’s low-carbon future.”
