Today, SunExpress announced that it is closing down the flight operations of its subsidiary in Germany. SunExpress Deutschland is being sacrificed so that the airline can focus on the Turkish tourism market.

A consolidation process

According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines wants to concentrate on serving leisure flights to and from Turkey. Additionally, there will be attention to domestic operations in the nation.

Primarily, SunExpress wants to pay more attention to the Turkish tourism market. Therefore, the firm will bundle its fleet under one SunExpress Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

Since its founding in 1989, the Antalya-based carrier has done wonders for Turkish tourism from Europe. Altogether, SunExpress offers the highest frequency in connections between Turkey and Germany.

To capitalize on the success, the company created SunExpress Deutschland and based it in Frankfurt. This subsidiary mainly conducted charter and holiday flights to several other destinations other than Turkey. Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Spain are some of the countries that it served.

SunExpress Plane
SunExpress recognizes the further potential in the Turkish leisure industry. Photo: SunExpress

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Time for a change

SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki further explained the reasoning behind the move to concentrate on operations from Turkey. Ultimately, the airline wants to make the most out of the strengths that it has at its hubs in the country. He said,

“SunExpress has been one of the largest airlines in holiday and ethnic traffic between Germany and Turkey for more than 30 years. Together with our shareholders Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, we have decided to focus on our strength in air travel into Turkey as the home carrier for Antalya and Izmir.

"With a concentrated route network, a consolidated fleet and passion for aviation, we will ensure the airline’s competitiveness and future viability, remaining a strong and reliable partner for travel agencies, tour operators and our direct customers."

Frankfurt 747 Lufthansa
Amid the downturn in passenger activity due to the ongoing restrictions amid the global health crisis, Frankfurt Airport would have been less busy than usual, but there were still thousands of people at the site this evening. Photo: Getty Images

Tactical measures

The executive went on to state that decision is a strategic move to adapt to a changing competitive environment and future market demand forecast. He added that his company believes that by concentrating all its power on a rapidly growing and developing country such as Turkey, there will be greater scope for growth.

The country has high potential when it comes to tourism. It also had a robust aviation industry. Therefore, Kownatzki feels the firm will develop and add value along the way. Ultimately, with Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines both holding a strong presence across Europe with their other projects, the decision to streamline SunExpress' operations could prove to be a worthwhile one.

Simply Flying reached out to SunExpress for comment on this decision but did not hear back before publication. We will update the article with any further announcements.

What are your thoughts on SunExpress wrapping up its subsidiary in Germany? Are you expecting to fly with the airline soon? Let us know what you think in the comment section.