SunExpress welcomed tourism professionals at the ‘Sunny Future for Turkish Tourism’ event in Antalya, aiming to increase cooperation across the industry to support the recovery of Turkish tourism after the pandemic.
Max Kownatzki, CEO of SunExpress, said: “Turkey welcomed around 30 million tourists in 2021 despite the pandemic, reaching 60% of pre-pandemic levels. We have done our share at SunExpress by flying 6 million passengers in 2021 with a seat load factor of 75 percent for the year. As a firm believer in the immense potential of Turkish tourism, we have been a stable and reliable partner in the sector for more than 30 years. We will continue to do our part to support Turkey’s 42 million tourist target this year by increasing connections between Turkey and Europe and bringing European holidaymakers to top destinations in beautiful Turkey.
Undertaking the largest network expansion in its history, SunExpress will add a total of 25 new destinations and an additional 16,250 flights to its network in the summer of 2022. SunExpress aims to become the number one Turkish tourist airline bringing the highest number of tourists to Turkey, while maintaining its position as the airline carrying the highest number of tourists to the Mediterranean and Aegean regions with direct scheduled flights.
Kownatzki stated, “Guests look for not only safety, flexibility, and great value for money but also for hospitality, warmth and friendliness and Turkey excels in all of these categories. We aim to expand tourism beyond beach holidays and position Turkey as a year-round holiday destination. We at SunExpress, see even higher demand than in pre-pandemic years for international air travel, and we are already evaluating solutions for additional capacity to meet this demand. This summer, we are flying tourists from more than 50 international destinations to the Turkish Riviera with 33,000 flights via Antalya, Izmir, Dalaman, and Bodrum/Milas. We also support Anatolia with new routes in 2022. With 18 European cities being directly connected to 14 Anatolian cities, we strive to create an alternative gateway beside the Riviera and help European tourists discover the true diversity of Turkey. As the number one Turkish tourism airline, we are ready to support the incoming traffic flow and meet the demand for seats by our tour operator partners.”
Adding that Turkish tourism will gain significant momentum and emerge even stronger from the pandemic, Kownatzki said, “Turkey tourism is destined for growth with its unique natural beauty, culture and history, culinary experience, sports opportunities, and safe tourism standards. As a leading partner for the industry, SunExpress will always be ready to support and collaborate in these areas.”
