SunExpress

Last updated
SunExpress
SunExpress Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
XQSXSSUNEXPRESS
FoundedOctober 1989;34 years ago (1989-10)
Commenced operations1990;34 years ago (1990)
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer program your benefits
Fleet size53
Destinations92 [4]
Parent company
Headquarters Antalya, Turkey
Key peopleMax Kownatzki (CEO)
Employees5,000
Website www.sunexpress.com

SunExpress, is a Turkish-German airline based in Antalya. [5] 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. [6] 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.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

A SunExpress Boeing 737-800 in its original livery (2002). B738 SunExpress TC-SUA DUS January 2002.jpg
A SunExpress Boeing 737-800 in its original livery (2002).
A SunExpress Boeing 737-800 wearing a special livery to celebrate the airline's 20th anniversary (2010). 2010-06-30 B737 SunExpress TC-SUU EDDF 03.jpg
A 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 of 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 1 basement and 4 floors which house 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 common archive room, a stationary flight simulator room and a general purpose auditorium.[ citation needed ]

On 23 June 2020, it has been announced that SunExpress' German subsidiary SunExpress Deutschland would cease operations and be liquidated. [7] Its route network would be partially taken over by SunExpress and Eurowings. [8]

On 30 October 2023, Sun Express 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. Sun Express 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. [9]

Destinations

As of January 2024, SunExpress flies to the following destinations: [10]

CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
Albania Tirana Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza Begins 4 June 2024 [11]
Austria Graz Graz Airport [11]
Vienna Vienna Airport
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo Sarajevo International Airport
Belgium Brussels Brussels Airport
Bulgaria Sofia Sofia Airport Seasonal [12]
Czech Republic Prague Václav Havel Airport Prague [11]
Cyprus (North) Nicosia Ercan International Airport [13]
Denmark Aalborg Aalborg Airport Seasonal
Billund Billund Airport Seasonal
Copenhagen Copenhagen Airport Seasonal
Egypt Sharm El Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh International Airport [14]
Estonia Tallinn Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport Seasonal
Finland Helsinki Helsinki Airport Seasonal [11]
France Lyon Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport Seasonal
Marseille Marseille Provence Airport Seasonal
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Germany Berlin Berlin Brandenburg Airport [11]
Bremen Bremen Airport
Cologne/Bonn Cologne Bonn Airport [11]
Dortmund Dortmund Airport
Dresden Dresden Airport Seasonal [15]
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Airport [11]
Erfurt/Weimar Erfurt–Weimar Airport Terminated [15]
Frankfurt Frankfurt Airport
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Airport Terminated [16] [15]
Hamburg Hamburg Airport
Hanover Hannover Airport
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport Terminated [15]
Leipzig/Halle Leipzig/Halle Airport
Memmingen Memmingen Airport Terminated [17] [15]
Munich Munich Airport [11]
Münster/Osnabrück Münster Osnabrück Airport
Nuremberg Nuremberg Airport
Paderborn/Lippstadt Paderborn Lippstadt Airport [18]
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken Airport
Stuttgart Stuttgart Airport [11]
Weeze Weeze Airport Terminated [19]
Hungary Budapest Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport Seasonal
Iraq Erbil Erbil International Airport Seasonal [20]
Ireland Dublin Dublin Airport [21]
Israel Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport Seasonal [12]
Italy Milan Milan Malpensa Airport [11]
Rome Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport Begins 4 June 2024 [11]
Kosovo Pristina Pristina International Airport Begins 3 June 2024 [11]
Lebanon Beirut Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport Seasonal [12]
Moldova Chișinău Chișinău International Airport Terminated [20]
Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Eindhoven Eindhoven Airport Seasonal
Rotterdam Rotterdam The Hague Airport Seasonal [22]
North Macedonia Skopje Skopje International Airport
Norway Oslo Oslo Gardermoen Airport Seasonal
Poland Katowice Katowice Airport
Warsaw Warsaw Chopin Airport Seasonal [11]
Romania Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport Resumes 6 May 2024 [23]
Russia Saint Petersburg Pulkovo Airport Terminated [24]
Slovenia Ljubljana Ljubljana Airport Terminated [12]
Spain Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport Begins 3 June 2024 [11]
Sweden Gothenburg Göteborg Landvetter Airport Terminated
Stockholm Stockholm Arlanda Airport Seasonal
Switzerland
France
Germany
Basel
Mulhouse
Freiburg
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg
Switzerland Geneva Geneva Airport Seasonal [20]
Zürich Zurich Airport
Turkey Adana Adana Şakirpaşa Airport
Ankara Ankara Esenboğa Airport
Antalya Antalya Airport Hub
Bodrum Milas–Bodrum Airport Seasonal
Dalaman Dalaman Airport Seasonal
Diyarbakır Diyarbakır Airport [11]
Elazığ Elazığ Airport Seasonal
Eskişehir Hasan Polatkan Airport
Erzurum Erzurum Airport
Gaziantep Gaziantep Oğuzeli Airport [11]
Hatay Hatay Airport Terminated [11]
İzmir İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport Hub
Kars Kars Harakani Airport
Kayseri Erkilet International Airport
Konya Konya Airport
Kütahya Zafer Airport Seasonal
Malatya Malatya Erhaç Airport [11]
Samsun Samsun-Çarşamba Airport [11]
Trabzon Trabzon Airport
Van Van Ferit Melen Airport
Zonguldak Zonguldak Airport Seasonal [20]
Ukraine Kyiv Boryspil International Airport Terminated [12]
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi International Airport [25]
Dubai Dubai International Airport
United Kingdom Birmingham Birmingham Airport
Bristol Bristol Airport
Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport [11]
Leeds/Bradford Leeds Bradford Airport Seasonal [26]
London Gatwick Airport [20]
Luton Airport Terminated [27]
London Stansted Airport [11]
Manchester Manchester Airport [20]
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle International Airport
Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand International Airport [28]

Fleet

SunExpress Boeing 737-800 SunExpress, Boeing 737-85F(WL), TC-SUL - CDG (19348835136).jpg
SunExpress Boeing 737-800
SunExpress Boeing 737 MAX 8 Hamburg Airport SunExpress Boeing 737-8 MAX TC-SOJ (DSC00271).jpg
SunExpress Boeing 737 MAX 8

As of April 2024, the SunExpress fleet consists of the following aircraft: [29] [30] [31]

AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
Boeing 737-800 49189
Boeing 737 MAX 8 1554189Option for 45 additional aircraft. [32] [33] [34] [35]
Boeing 737 MAX 10 17TBA
Total6472

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References

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