The revenue of SunExpress, the joint venture of Türkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) and German Lufthansa, hit a record as it rose by 23% in 2024 to 2.2 billion euros ($2.52 billion), the company announced on Tuesday.
The airline carried almost 15 million passengers last year with a load factor of 86%, it said in a statement. The count marked a new peak for the budget carrier after 12.6 million passengers in 2023.
Based in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, the carrier said on Tuesday it aims to serve 16.8 million passengers this year.
SunExpress has doubled its seat capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels and said it was expanding its network with 15 new international routes for the 2025 summer season.
"2024 was a record year for us in terms of both capacity and fleet expansion, achieving the highest revenue and profit in our history," SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki said.
Referring to Türkiye's goal to welcome 64 million tourists this year, Kownatzki said the carrier has had a "solid start" to the 2025 summer season, citing bookings he says have increased by 11% year-over-year for the second quarter of the year.
"Türkiye continues its rise in the European tourism market. In the summer of 2025, SunExpress will operate a fleet of 85 aircraft, serving 237 routes across 35 countries," Kownatzki told reporters in Istanbul.
He further said the company is observing a "significant rise" in interest for the fall shoulder season.
"This reflects a rising appetite in Türkiye not just for sea and sun vacations, but also for cultural, historical, gastronomic, health and sports tourism," he added.
For the summer season, the airline will operate up to seven daily flights from Düsseldorf to Antalya, six from Cologne and five from Berlin, along with many other destinations in Germany and across Europe, the company said.
It says it's an airline offering the highest number of connections between the German-speaking countries and Türkiye
"Germany remains one of the top markets for travelers to Türkiye. It is a source of great pride for us that more than half of the 6.6 million travelers from Germany to Türkiye last year chose SunExpress," Kownatzki stated.
"We have increased flight frequencies to the Turkish Riviera. In addition, we continue to bring families and friends together with new direct international routes from Germany to Anatolian cities such as Kayseri and Bursa," he noted.
Kownatzki went on to refer to growth in the United Kingdom, where he says the company is continuing to increase its footprint.
"We have quadrupled our seat capacity since 2022, the year we began a major expansion into the U.K. market," he noted. "Starting in the summer of 2022 with five airports, we are now serving 11 airports. Glasgow and Liverpool airports are the latest additions to our network for this summer."
Additionally, SunExpress is strengthening its presence in the Middle East and North Africa, with newly launched flights from Antalya to Amman and ongoing services to Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Beirut and Cairo.
