SunExpress announces 26 new routes

ISTANBUL

SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, will reach the largest network in its history this summer, adding 26 new routes, and plans to carry more than 12 million passengers by the end of the year.

Having welcomed 10.7 million passengers on board in 2022 and achieved a revenue of around 1,49 billion euros ($1.6 billion), the airline reached above pre-pandemic levels and exceeded its profit target.

“As we continue to support the recovery after the earthquake, we are more confident than ever in Türkiye’s unwavering strength to recover quickly,” SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki said in a statement.

“In order to support this recovery, we have focused on promoting Türkiye and Turkish tourism abroad even more intensively as Türkiye’s tourism ambassador. With this focus, we will continue to contribute to the Turkish economy and employment in the country.”

Kownatzki stated that the upcoming period is crucial in terms of tourism. “Strong demand for Türkiye continues for the summer period. As SunExpress, we are increasing our seat capacity by 13 percent and expanding our flight network with 26 new routes to meet this demand.”

The winner of the “World’s Best Leisure Airline” award at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, SunExpress operates non-stop flights to 60 destinations in 30 countries and more than 185 routes from Türkiye.

This summer, SunExpress will offer 15 new routes to the Turkish Riviera, operating flights from Antalya, İzmir, Dalaman and Bodrum airports to 58 destinations. In addition, 11 new international routes will be added to its Anatolia - Europe flight network offering direct services from 16 Anatolian cities to 18 cities in Europe.

“We continue to contribute to Türkiye’s 60 million tourist target for this year,” Kownatzki said.

“In cooperation with the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, we continue our efforts to promote Türkiye abroad and contribute to the promotion of travel to Türkiye throughout the year,” he added.