German travel magazine fvw reports that holiday demand from Germany to popular Mediterranean holiday destination, Türkiye, leading airlines to increase capacity, routes and fleet size. According to report, demand for Türkiye in the German tourism market is prompting Sun Express, Corendon, Condor, and Mavi Gök Airlines to expand both their routes and fleets over the next few years.
Türkiye performed well during the early booking period
According to a report, Türkiye, which hosted 6.2 million German tourists last year, has also shown strong performance during this year's early booking period for summer vacations. As a result, tour operators are expanding hotel capacities, while airlines are increasing their offers.
2,4 million more seats from SunExpress
SunExpress, the leader in the German holiday market, aims to increase its total passenger number from 12.6 million in 2023 to 14.8 million this year. The company also aims to surpass its pre-pandemic passenger level of over 2.4 million to Türkiye.
SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki states that reservation numbers are currently 23 percent higher than last year. The company operates flights from 16 airports in Germany to 20 airports in Türkiye, with a total of 634 flights per week. Kownatzki notes, "We will operate 6 flights daily from Düsseldorf, 5 from Cologne, and 4 from Berlin to Antalya. We are opening 8 new routes from Germany to Türkiye this summer season. Our fleet will double next year and reached 165 by 2035.
Eurowings to fly to Türkiye from 25 destinations
On the other hand, SunExpress's competitors are also speeding up. Eurowings will operate flights to Türkiye from 25 destinations. Like SunExpress, Eurowings will fly not only to the Aegean and Mediterranean but also to major Anatolian cities like Samsun, Kayseri, and Adana.
Condor to bring tourists to Antalya from 4 cities in Germany
Another German holiday airline, Condor, resumed flights to Antalya in 2023 after 3 years break. The company will operate daily flights to Antalya from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig/Halle, and Munich during this summer season.
Mavi Gök is growing, Corendon consolidates its capacity
Mavi Gök Airlines (MGA), one of the new players in the German holiday airline market, is expanding its capacity by 50 percent from Germany and Austria to Antalya this year. The company, says, "We are connecting 10 airports in Germany to Antalya. We will operate 45 flights per week to Antalya during the peak season, including daily flights from Düsseldorf, Hanover, and Nuremberg."
Corendon Airlines, another leading player in the industry that experienced strong growth from 2019 to 2023, has declared 2024 as a consolidation year. Founded 20 years ago, the company flew 1.4 million passengers in 2023, a 40 percent increase. With a fleet of 32 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, Corendon has leased one more aircraft to meet high demand. The company plans to enter a sustainable growth phase starting next year.
In addition to the national airline Turkish Airlines, Turkish domestic airlines such as Pegasus, Tailwind, and Freebird, which provide tourist transportation, are also expanding their offers. Air Anka, represented by Broker Involatus, is also a newcomer to the market.
