Nuremberg Airport has introduced a change to its Turkey service in the current summer flight schedule. AJet, a subsidiary of the state-owned Turkish Airlines, will now serve the northern Bavarian regional airport and launch scheduled flights to the Turkish destination of Bodrum.
The service is operated in cooperation with the travel group TUI, making flights available both as individual tickets and as part of package holidays including hotel accommodation and transfers. According to Nuremberg Airport Managing Director Michael Hupe, the new connection complements the existing portfolio in the holiday travel segment.
AJet's market entry in Nuremberg is part of a restructuring of the airline. The company, which operated under the name AnadoluJet until spring 2024, was positioned by Turkish Airlines as an independent low-cost carrier to secure market share in the high-margin leisure travel sector against competitors such as SunExpress and Pegasus Airlines. For Nuremberg Airport, the airline's presence means a stabilization of traffic volume to holiday destinations on the Turkish Aegean coast. TUI Group spokesperson Aage Dünhaupt pointed to continued demand for air travel to Turkey, with increasing interest in destinations beyond the traditional Antalya.
Aviation experts view the establishment of new point-to-point connections at smaller German airports as a reaction to increased government levies and airport fees at major hubs like Frankfurt and Munich. Foreign low-cost carriers are increasingly shifting their operations to these regions to optimize operating costs. Nevertheless, the holiday flight segment in Eastern Europe and the Middle East remains highly seasonal and characterized by intense price competition. Critical industry observers point out that the success of such niche routes depends heavily on the bookings made by major tour operators, as individual travelers on these routes are often insufficient to ensure consistent aircraft utilization in scheduled service.
Furthermore, the focus on the low-cost carrier sector presents operational challenges for regional airports. Handling processes must be organized cost-effectively and with short turnaround times to meet the demands of low-cost providers. Whether the flight connection to Bodrum can become a permanent fixture in Nuremberg's flight schedule beyond the current summer season depends largely on fuel price developments and the general purchasing power of consumers in the Nuremberg metropolitan region.