SunExpress sees rising UK and Ireland passenger numbers

Turkish leisure airline SunExpress carried more than 1.6 million passengers from the UK and Ireland last year.

The Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines joint venture carrier saw levels rise by 21% over 2024 when numbers reached 1.3 million.

“Robust” demand during the peak Christmas travel period between December 20 and January 4 saw almost 30,000 passengers from the UK and Ireland - up 24% year on year.

The overall uplift underlined Turkey’s continued appeal as one of the most popular holiday destinations for travellers from both the UK and Ireland, according to the airline.

The SunExpress network is being expanded ths year with the addition of flights from East Midlands Airport and Cork to  Antalya, and Gatwick and Manchester to Bodrum.