The long-lasting success story of SunExpress began in October 1989, when it was founded as a subsidiary of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The airline's first flight took off on 2 April 1990. The company still offers low-cost flights between Germany and Turkey, just as it did then. SunExpress is now one of the leading airlines on this popular holiday route and, over more than 20 years, has acquired the reputation of being a top Turkish holiday specialist. During the summer season, SunExpress connects 20 German cities with 12 destinations in Turkey non-stop, offering more than 250 flights a week. SunExpress has been flying from Dortmund Airport since the summer of 2002.
The home base of SunExpress is in Antalya on the Turkish Riviera. SunExpress also has two other hubs in Turkey: Izmir on the Aegean coast and Sabiha Gökcen Airport in the eastern part of Istanbul. The recent founding of SunExpress Deutschland (code: XG) in June 2011 has also given it a base in Frankfurt am Main, where the company's European sales office has been located since SunExpress was first established. In addition to the SunExpress flights to the south coast of Turkey, the Aegean coast, the Black Sea and the east of the country, the Ger-man-registered part of the company also flies to attractive destinations on the Red Sea in Egypt.
In 2011, SunExpress transported 7.7 million passengers and had a turnover of 666 million eu-ros. The airline, which currently employs around 1800 people, has one of Europe's youngest fleets of 30 Boeing 737-800s. On average the aircraft are seven years old. Passengers on all international flights receive water and a fresh snack. They can also enjoy the latest entertain-ment systems and the on-board magazine.
In order to ensure that the ticket prices are fully transparent for customers, they include all taxes and additional charges. Online tickets make the experience of flying much simpler for customers. Members of the SunPoints rewards programme receive valuable status and bonus points for their flights. The programme offers free flights and other benefits, such as priority boarding.