The Turkish airline SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is experiencing strong demand for summer 2025. According to CEO Max Kownatzki, advance bookings are 20 percent higher than last year. The Turkish Riviera and Anatolia are particularly focused on expansion. In 2024, the airline achieved the best result in its history with revenue of €2,2 billion and 15 million passengers. Despite rising costs and operational challenges, SunExpress plans to significantly expand its offerings in 2025.
During peak season, 85 aircraft will be operated, seven more than last year. The route network includes 237 connections to 92 destinations in 35 countries. In the DACH region, SunExpress is massively expanding its Antalya program. Up to seven daily flights will depart from Düsseldorf this summer, and up to six from Cologne. New routes include Erzurum, Bursa, and Kayseri. Collaborations with partner airlines are also growing: 120 weekly flights to Egypt are being marketed for Air Cairo, while Electra Airways is offering new connections to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. A codeshare agreement with Eurowings is in preparation.
Despite its successes, SunExpress anticipates economic challenges in 2025. Rising fees and compensation payments could burden its balance sheet. To offset capacity bottlenecks caused by delayed aircraft deliveries, leasing contracts have been extended. The long-term goal is to grow the fleet to 2035 aircraft by 166. In addition, the ACMI division will be further expanded; SunExpress currently operates four aircraft for South African Airways and nine for AJet for the 2024/2025 winter season.