Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines leisure carrier joint venture SunExpress saw a 7% increase in passenger volumes in 2025, up to 16 million across its network.

The carrier said the improved performance reflects the popularity of  Türkiye as one of the leading holiday destinations in Europe.

SunExpress also recorded “robust traffic” during the peak Christmas travel period, from December 20 to January 4.

During this time, the airline carried almost half a million passengers in total, a 9% increase compared to the previous year’s festive season.

The airline said these results “reinforce SunExpress’ position as a leading leisure airline between Europe and Türkiye, supported by its strong partnership structure and expanding network”.

In addition to summer sun and beach travel, SunExpress caters for a number of other types of travel including cultural, archaeological, and culinary tourism, and sports travel.

The airline operates in a total of 237 routes to 92 destinations across 35 countries.