SunExpress, the low-cost airline joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, is preparing for a significant expansion of its UK and Ireland operations in the summer 2026 season. With the newly announced schedule, the airline will serve 12 airports in the UK and add East Midlands Airport to its network, launching 3 new weekly flights to Antalya.
New Routes and Increased Flight Frequency
In summer 2026, SunExpress plans to operate 196 weekly flights from 14 airports across the UK and Ireland, covering 30 different routes. This represents a 10% increase in capacity compared to the summer 2025 season, totaling 2.1 million available seats.
New routes include:
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London Gatwick – Bodrum (2 flights per week)
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Manchester – Bodrum (2 flights per week)
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Cork – Antalya (2 flights per week)
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Dublin – Dalaman (2 flights per week)
Strong Demand for Turkey Drives Expansion
This expansion is part of SunExpress’s strategy to increase capacity in response to rising demand for Turkish destinations. In summer 2025, an additional 10,000 seats were added from London Gatwick, London Stansted, Birmingham, Bristol, and Edinburgh airports to Antalya and Dalaman. These extra seats played a critical role in meeting demand especially between August and October 2025.
Wide Route Network and Flexible Service Options
SunExpress currently operates flights to 92 destinations in 35 countries across 237 routes. With a strong presence in Turkey’s Aegean region and major cities in Anatolia, the carrier stands out with versatile fare packages offering baggage allowance, seat selection, check-in options, and booking flexibility.
Additionally, SunExpress serves various travel segments beyond beach holidays, including cultural, gastronomic, archaeological, and sports tourism.
New Winter Route: Newcastle – Sofia
SunExpress’s growth plans are not limited to summer. Starting 20 December 2025, the airline will launch direct flights on the Newcastle – Sofia route. In partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, flights will operate every Saturday throughout winter, providing easy access to Bulgaria’s popular ski resorts Bansko, Borovets, and Pamporovo.
This new route responds strategically to TUI’s high customer demand for ski holidays in Bulgaria.
Seasonal Winter Flights Return
Following the success of seasonal flights last year, the Isle of Man – Belfast City route will also be reinstated for the winter 2025 season.
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