SunExpress
Turkish-German airline
title: "SunExpress" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["turkish-companies-established-in-1989", "turkish-brands", "airlines-established-in-1989", "airlines-of-turkey", "charter-airlines", "lufthansa-group", "turkish-airlines"] description: "Turkish-German airline" topic_path: "geography/turkey" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunExpress" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Turkish-German airline ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox airline"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| airline | SunExpress |
| image | Berlin Brandenburg Airport SunExpress Boeing 737-86Q(WL) TC-SUU (DSC06358).jpg |
| logo | SunExpress Logo.svg |
| logo_size | 250 |
| IATA | XQ |
| ICAO | SXS |
| callsign | SUNEXPRESS |
| founded | |
| commenced | |
| headquarters | Antalya, Turkey |
| key_people | Marcus Schnabel (CEO) |
| revenue | 1.8 billion EUR (2023) |
| parent | {{ubl |
| bases | *Antalya |
| frequent_flyer | your benefits |
| fleet_size | 78 |
| destinations | 92 |
| num_employees | 5,000 |
| website | |
| :: |
| airline = SunExpress | image = Berlin Brandenburg Airport SunExpress Boeing 737-86Q(WL) TC-SUU (DSC06358).jpg | logo = SunExpress Logo.svg | logo_size = 250 | IATA = XQ | ICAO = SXS | callsign = SUNEXPRESS | founded = | commenced = | headquarters = Antalya, Turkey | key_people = Marcus Schnabel (CEO) | revenue = 1.8 billion EUR (2023) | parent = {{ubl| | Turkish Airlines (50%) | Lufthansa Group (50%) | aoc = | bases = *Antalya
- İzmir
- Ankara | subsidiaries = | focus_cities = | frequent_flyer = your benefits | alliance = | fleet_size = 78 | destinations = 92 | num_employees = 5,000 | website =
SunExpress is a Turkish-German airline based in Antalya. SunExpress was founded in October 1989 as a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. It operates scheduled and chartered passenger flights to 90 destinations in 30 countries in Europe as well as North Africa, the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Red Sea. The airline concentrates on international tourism, domestic Turkish flights to cities in Anatolia, and wet leasing. The total number of SunExpress employees is 5,000.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/B738_SunExpress_TC-SUA_DUS_January_2002.jpg" caption="SunExpress [[Boeing 737-800]] in its original livery (2002)"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/2010-06-30_B737_SunExpress_TC-SUU_EDDF_03.jpg" caption="SunExpress [[Boeing 737-800]] wearing a special livery to celebrate the airline's 20th anniversary (2010)"] ::
Foundation and early years
SunExpress was founded in Antalya in October 1989 as a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. Its first flight was in 1990.
SunExpress became the first private airline company to offer international scheduled flights from Turkey with its first Antalya-Frankfurt flight in 2001. SunExpress opened its second base in İzmir and started to operate domestic flights in 2006. With this launch, SunExpress became the first airline company to connect İzmir with Anatolian cities with direct flights in Turkey.
Development since 2010
In May 2010, SunExpress took delivery of the first of six newly purchased Boeing 737-800s and launched its new corporate identity including its new logo, aircraft livery, new corporate colours, uniforms and visual identity elements.
SunExpress Deutschland was founded in 2011. The company started business operations in June 2011. Besides the Turkish destinations on the South Coast, on the Aegean, on the Black Sea and in the East of the country, it also serves – with German registration – destinations along the Mediterranean, Black Sea, North Africa and Red Sea.
SunExpress decided to invest in its building and SunExpress Plaza was built in June 2012. The new company building is environmental friendly and is located in a natural setting. The architectural theme of the building is transparency and naturalness; therefore each room has been designed so that it has access to natural light and fresh air. The sun is a source for clean energy inside the building. The solar panels on the roof generate enough electricity to supply power to all the computers. On the exterior of the building, “smart” glass panels have been used to allow sun rays to shine inside the building while blocking out unwanted heat to help reduce cooling costs. Orange, bergamot, and lemon trees have been planted in both the interior and exterior gardens.
The building consists of one basement and four floors, which houses 250 SunExpress employees in 87 offices. There are several special category spaces incorporating meeting, briefing, training, storage, and various special operation rooms. The building also hosts a common archive room, a stationary flight simulator room and a general purpose auditorium.
On 23 June 2020, it has been announced that SunExpress' German subsidiary SunExpress Deutschland would cease operations and be liquidated. Its route network would be partially taken over by SunExpress and Eurowings.
On 30 October 2023, SunExpress Airlines successfully completed its inaugural flight to Ercan Airport (Northern Cyprus) with 118 passengers. This special flight coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, marking a significant historical moment. SunExpress will operate flights to Ercan Airport on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, making four round trips per week. This new route is highlighted as a crucial step both for travelers wishing to travel from İzmir to Cyprus and for Ercan Airport to serve a broader audience. In 2024, SunExpress and the Bulgarian airline Electra Airways announced a new flight program for flights to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, covering the summer tourist season with flights from 7 German airports to Varna and Burgas. The new project will operate through joint operations, with SunExpress participating through sales and flight program planning, while Electra Airways will provide aircraft and crew.
Destinations
, SunExpress flies to the following destinations:
::data[format=table title=""]
Codeshare agreements
Interline agreements
Fleet
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/SunExpress,_Boeing_737-85F(WL),TC-SUL-CDG(19348835136).jpg" caption="SunExpress [[Boeing 737-800"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Hamburg_Airport_SunExpress_Boeing_737-8_MAX_TC-SOJ_(DSC00271).jpg" caption="Boeing 737 MAX 8"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/SunExpress_Boeing_757,TC-SNC@ZRH,31.03.2007-457ct-Flickr-_Aero_Icarus.jpg" caption="Boeing 757-200]] in its original livery (2007)"] ::
Current fleet
, SunExpress operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet composed of the following aircraft:
::data[format=table]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | Total | 82 | 70 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 60 | — | 189 | ||||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 22 | 53 | 189 | Order with 45 options. | |||
| Boeing 737 MAX 10 | — | 17 | TBA | ||||
| :: |
Historic fleet
SunExpress had also operated the following aircraft types in the past:
::data[format=table title="Former SunExpress fleet"]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 4 | 1990 | 2002 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 3 | 1993 | 2004 | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 12 | 2000 | 2015 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 4 | 2005 | 2011 | |
| :: |
References
References
- "SunExpress on ch-aviation".
- "[http://www.sunexpress.com/xq/en/imprint.jsp Imprint]." SunExpress. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "Company Profile".
- (2020-06-23). "aviation24.be".
- [https://www.aerotelegraph.com/sun-express-deutschland-wird-liquidiert aerotelegraph.com] (German) 23 June 2020
- "Sun Express Begins Flights to Ercan Airport! | Caria Holidays".
- "Flight Connections Winter 2019/2020". SunExpress.
- (24 September 2023). "SunExpress NS24 Network Expansion – 24SEP23".
- "SunExpress S21 network additions as of 11OCT20".
- (27 July 2023). "SunExpress Adds Antalya – Sharm el Sheikh Service From Sep 2023". AeroRoutes.
- (16 February 2018). ""Hätte gerne noch mehr Kapazität draufgelegt"".
- "SunExpress Adds Antalya – Erfurt from late-Sep 2024".
- "Sunexpress verbindet Friedrichshafen und Antalya".
- "Allgäu Airport startet mit SunExpress neue Strecke nach Antalya".
- (28 August 2025). "With SunExpress to the sun".
- "Mit SunExpress nach Antalya".
- (14 December 2022). "Niederländische Steuererhöhung beflügelt Flughafen Weeze".
- (23 February 2021). "SunExpress Announces 2021 Summer Program".
- "Cork Airport Announces New SunExpress Service to İzmir, Türkiye for Summer 2025".
- (9 September 2021). "SunExpress's Izmir Dublin Flights Restart". Railly News.
- (28 November 2014). "Fly Luxembourg – Antalya with SunExpress".
- "SunExpress débarque au Luxembourg".
- "Offers - SunExpress".
- (21 September 2023). "SunExpress va relua zborurile regulate dintre București și Antalya în 2024".
- (16 November 2017). "SunExpress plans new routes in S18". routesonline.com.
- "SunExpress NW24 Domestic Network Additions – 21APR24".
- (29 August 2024). "SunExpress'ten kış sezonunda iç hatlarda 11 yeni rota".
- "UK NS24 Network Additions – 14APR24".
- (19 June 2023). "SUNEXPRESS ADDS ABU DHABI SERVICE FROM SEP 2023".
- "SunExpress - Book cheap flights & fly to top destinations .com".
- "Leeds Bradford gains new SunExpress route".
- "Route network - SunExpress".
- (25 September 2023). "SunExpress Schedules Samarqand mid-Nov 2023 Launch". AeroRoutes.
- "Austrian / SunExpress Begins Codeshare Partnership in NW24".
- "Brussels Airlines Begins SunExpress Codeshare Partnership in NS23".
- "SunExpress Seeks Airline Partnerships, CEE Expansion | Aviation Week Network".
- "TUI Airline Partners".
- (2 August 2024). "SunExpress ve Eurowings, Türkiye ve Avrupa Arasındaki Uçuş Seçeneklerini Artırmak İçin İş Birliklerini Derinleştiriyor".
- "Fees for partner airlines".
- Schlappig, Ben. (2022-11-04). "New: Air Canada Aeroplan & SunExpress Partnership".
- "Fleet". sunexpress.com.
- "Commercial".
- "DUBAI: SunExpress tops up Max orders with 10-unit deal".
- (19 February 2014). "SunExpress places order for 50 Boeing aircraft".
- (19 February 2014). "Boeing Inks New Deal With SunExpress Worth Billions". fool.com.
- (13 November 2023). "SunExpress to Buy up to 90 Boeing 737 MAX Jets to Fuel Robust Growth".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::