SunExpress cuts UK summer routes and frequencies as fuel costs soar

SunExpress is trimming UK capacity this summer in the face of higher jet fuel costs triggered by the Iran war.

The Turkish leisure airline is dropping selected routes from Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Manchester airports as well as trimming frequencies elsewhere.

The Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines joint venture carrier saw passenger numbers from the UK and Ireland rise by 21% last year over 1.3 million achieved in 2024.

But it has become the latest airline to react to the impact of the Middle East conflict in the wake of Indian carrier IndiGo announcing the withdrawal of services from Manchester in August.

A SunExpress spokesperson said: “Due to the ongoing geopolitical developments, the aviation industry is currently operating in a highly volatile environment, characterised by significant cost increases, particularly for jet fuel.

“SunExpress is therefore taking steps to improve fuel efficiency and optimise flight operations.

“As part of this, we have temporarily suspended our services from Glasgow and Leeds Bradford, and our route from Manchester to Bodrum, along with a number of short-term frequency reductions on other services.

“We regret any inconvenience caused, and will continue to provide UK travellers with a wide range of flights and routes to Turkey from airports across the UK.”