SunExpress Will Need To Stock More Booze For “Hedonistic” Brits On New Routes After Running Dry In 25 Minutes

Turkish carrier SunExpress will almost double its UK capacity this summer after first entering the market in 2022. According to the airline’s CEO, this will pose some unique inventory challenges given the propensity of many British holidaymakers to be more “hedonistic” during their travel.

SunExpress gears up for UK summer

According to data from analytics company Cirium, the low-cost leisure airline will operate up to 136 weekly flights from the UK in August, up from its current level of 64 for April and 74 operated last summer. It now operates out of nine UK airports – Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS), Edinburgh (EDI), Leeds Bradford (LBA), London Gatwick (LGW), London Luton (LTN), Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL) and Stansted (STN) – to four Turkish holiday destinations in Antalya (AYT), Dalaman (DLM), Gaziantep (GZT) and Izmir (ADB).

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

As per a TTG report, Max Kownatzk, CEO of SunExpress, said,

“In summer 2022, we had five UK airports – now there are nine. Before that, we had some select routes, but nothing major. We are now number three behind Jet2.com and easyJet. We needed to venture further in terms of our network – that made us look at the UK.”

Its busiest UK airport will be Manchester, followed by Birmingham and Gatwick – from Manchester, SunExpress will operate over 40 weekly flights to Antalya, Dalaman and Izmir, while Birmingham and Gatwick will host 25 weekly flights each to the same destinations.

Running dry in under half an hour

According to Kownatzk, a golfing charter flight operated by SunExpress for UK travelers ran out of alcohol in just 25 minutes. While a flight full of golfers might not be entirely indicative of the average UK holidaymaker, Brits are well-known for their boozy inclinations when traveling abroad.

Photo: Filmbildfabrik | Shutterstock

The CEO noted that British travelers display “more high-spend, more hedonistic” patterns of behavior compared to other markets. So long as behavior remains civil and we don’t see the typical videos of unruly passengers creating a disturbance onboard, the airline won’t mind the extra revenue at all.

UK expansion

SunExpress established a foothold in the UK in 2022 with the launch of flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester before adding Bristol and Newcastle to its network the following year, while Leeds Bradford and Stansted are new additions for this summer. Last summer, the carrier served around 700,000 UK passengers and expects this to rise to 1.3 million this year.

Photo: Renatas Repcinskas | Shutterstock

With its Boeing 737 fleet continuing to grow, the carrier is considering adding more UK airports to its portfolio. It plans to operate with a fleet of up to 150 aircraft within a decade.

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SunExpress was named the Best Leisure Airline in Europe last summer, and its CEO noted some of its key advantages over UK rivals like easyJet and Jet2.com. This includes a high aircraft utilization of 16.5 hours per day and added perks like pre-ordering meals.

Have you ever flown with SunExpress? How did the experience compare to other budget airlines? Let us know in the comment section.