SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is significantly expanding its operations at Cologne/Bonn Airport in the upcoming 2026 summer flight schedule. With an increase to up to 78 weekly direct flights, the airline is solidifying its position as one of the most important providers of flights to Turkey in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. The centerpiece of this expansion is the connection to Antalya, which will be served up to seven times daily. Overall, SunExpress will offer a capacity of over one million seats per year at this location for the first time, underscoring the growing importance of the market for holiday travel and visits from friends and family.
The route network is being expanded to include three new destinations: For the first time, Trabzon, Elazığ, and the newly opened Çukurova International Airport will be served directly from Cologne/Bonn. These destinations are aimed particularly at travelers with family ties to the respective regions of Anatolia. In addition to the new routes, the airline is increasing frequencies to existing destinations such as Samsun and Kayseri. Cologne/Bonn Airport's management views this expansion as a clear signal of the airport's competitiveness and the close operational partnership with the airline, which is consistently developing its presence at the Rhine-based airport.
Industry analyses show that SunExpress is responding to the persistently high demand for point-to-point flights with this strategy. Optimizing flight times, such as adding return flights in the late afternoon, is intended to further increase fleet utilization. The use of modern Boeing 737 medium-haul aircraft enables the efficient handling of these high frequencies. Turkey remains one of the most stable growth markets for German departure airports, with Cologne/Bonn playing a key role in SunExpress's network planning due to its large catchment area and specific passenger profile.
In addition to the tourist segment, the airport also benefits from the increasing importance of ethnic traffic, which is less subject to seasonal fluctuations than the pure holiday business. With nine destinations now served in Turkey, SunExpress covers a broad geographical spectrum, ranging from the Mediterranean coast to the Black Sea and deep into the Anatolian hinterland. For Cologne/Bonn Airport, the increase to almost 80 weekly flights represents a significant strengthening of traffic volume and an improved market position in competition with neighboring hubs.