SunExpress reports strong 2017 on traffic growth

SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, reported a E1.2b turnover for 2017, the highest turnover in its history. The carrier transported 8.8m passengers in 2017, up 10% compared to 2016. Load factor rose to 84%. SunExpress did not report detailed financial figures, but attributed the positive numbers to an uptick in passenger growth, especially a 20% boost in Turkish holiday destination traffic. Tourism in Turkey is recovering after challenging conditions in 2016 when a series of terrorist bombings and a failed coup attempt in Turkey depressed yields and slowed bookings. CEO Jens Bischof said, “In 2017, we [turned] challenges and risks in into opportunities. We redirected our network and sales strategy, and reduced our costs significantly.” For the 2018 summer schedule, the busiest season for European carriers, SunExpress continues to focus on the Mediterranean region, including a network increase from Turkey to the Middle East and Russia. SunExpress flies to 60 international destinations in 20 countries and operate 1,200 weekly flights. The company has 4,000 employees.<br/>