Owner of Turkey’s low-cost Pegasus Airlines, wife, seriously hurt in boat crash off Leros

Ali Sabanci, the chairman of the company that owns Turkey’s low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, was injured in a boat accident while vacationing in Greece, the company said Friday. His wife, businesswoman Vuslat Dogan Sabanci, was also injured.

A statement from Esas Holding did not provide details on their conditions but media reports said the two were seriously hurt.

The accident occurred late Thursday off the Aegean island of Leros, when an inflatable speedboat taking the couple to shore from their yacht crashed into rocks, the private DHA news agency and other media reported.

The two were evacuated to the nearby Turkish resort of Bodrum for treatment, from where Ali Sabanci, 54, was later airlifted to a hospital in Istanbul, DHA said.

Ali Sabanci is a member of one of Turkey’s wealthiest families. He, however, left the family conglomerate and founded Esas Holding together with his father and sister.

The group acquired Pegasus Airlines in 2005, building it into Turkey’s second largest airline. [AP]