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| Founded | October 1989; 36 years ago (1989-10) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1990; 35 years ago (1990) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | your benefits | ||||||
| Fleet size | 78 | ||||||
| Destinations | 92[1] | ||||||
| Parent company |
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| Headquarters | Antalya,Turkey | ||||||
| Key people | Max Kownatzki (CEO) | ||||||
| Revenue |  1.8 billionEUR (2023) | ||||||
| Employees | 5,000 | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
SunExpress is aTurkish-Germanairline based inAntalya.[2] 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 inEurope as well asNorth Africa, theMediterranean,Black Sea, andRed Sea.[3] The airline concentrates oninternational tourism, domestic Turkish flights to cities inAnatolia, andwet leasing. The total number of SunExpress employees is 5,000.[citation needed]
SunExpress was founded in Antalya in October 1989 as a joint venture ofTurkish Airlines andLufthansa. 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 inİzmir 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.
In May 2010, SunExpress took delivery of the first of six newly purchasedBoeing 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 theSouth Coast, on theAegean, on the Black Sea and in the East of the country, it also serves – with German registration – destinations along theMediterranean,Black Sea,North Africa andRed 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 stationaryflight simulator room and a general purpose auditorium.[citation needed]
On 23 June 2020, it has been announced that SunExpress' German subsidiarySunExpress Deutschland would cease operations and be liquidated.[4] Its route network would be partially taken over by SunExpress andEurowings.[5]
On 30 October 2023, SunExpress Airlines successfully completed its inaugural flight to Ercan Airport (Northern Cyprus) with 118 passengers. This special flight coincided with the100th 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.[6] 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.
As of June 2025[update], SunExpress flies to the following destinations:[7]
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As of July 2025[update], SunExpress operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet composed of the following aircraft:[41][42]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 60 | — | 189 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 22 | 53 | 189 | Order with 45 options.[43][44][45][46] |
| Boeing 737 MAX 10 | — | 17 | TBA | |
| Total | 82 | 70 | ||
SunExpress had also operated the following aircraft types in the past:[citation needed]
| 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 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Media related toSunExpress at Wikimedia Commons
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Employees: 37,670 (2020)Stock ticker:THYAO | ||
