- Over 1.5 million passengers carried on UK and Ireland routes –

- Airline plans increased UK&I trade engagement activity in 2026 -

18 November, 2025 – SunExpress, the joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines,  reports that the number of passengers travelling on its services between the UK & Ireland and Türkiye rose by 22% in the year to date compared to the same period last year.

Over 1.5 million passengers travelled on the airline’s routes in the year to date from 13 UK and Ireland departure points to six airports across Türkiye, including passengers departing from the airline’s new UK & Ireland airports for 2025: Glasgow, Liverpool and Cork.

Across its entire network, SunExpress has carried more than 13 million passengers since the beginning of the year - an 8% increase compared to the same period last year, and with a load factor of 85%. The airline also added a total of 15 new international routes to its network during the 2025 summer season, operating with a fleet of 85 Boeing 737 aircraft.

Highlighting the increasing demand from the UK and Ireland to Türkiye this past summer, SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki said: “The UK and Ireland are now among our fastest growing markets in recent years. Since 2022, we have quadrupled our seat capacity and have become the leading carrier in terms of UK airport connectivity to Türkiye. With our direct flights, we are delighted to enable more travellers to discover Türkiye’s natural beauty, cultural richness, and hospitality.”

SunExpress plans to continue this growth in the UK and Ireland in summer 2026 with the launch of services to Antalya from a new UK departure point – East Midlands Airport. It will also build on the success of existing departure points with new services from Cork to Antalya, and the airline’s first ever services from the UK to Bodrum, departing from Gatwick and Manchester.  With the planned seat capacity for 2026, the airline is also poised to operate the largest number of flights from the UK to Antalya and Izmir.

Kownatzki emphasised the continued interest in travel to Türkiye from Europe in 2026: “Early bookings are showing an upward trend compared to last year. Türkiye continues to hold a strong position in the European market thanks to its rich cultural heritage, natural attractions, warm hospitality and strong value-for-money proposition.”

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

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About SunExpress
Founded in Antalya as a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, SunExpress acts as a tourism ambassador between Türkiye and Europe with 35 years of experience and leisure airline expertise. Operating flights to 237 routes across 35 countries, SunExpress carries nearly 15 million passengers annually with over 4,500 employees based in Antalya, Frankfurt, Izmir, Ankara and Dalaman. For more information, please visit www.sunexpress.com.

For more information, contact:
Charlie Hampton / Faye Clarke
Tel:  +44 (0)7350 420791
Email:  sunexpress@pembrokeandrye.com