Who owns SunExpress?
SunExpress is half-owned by Turkish Airlines (Turkey, BIST: THYAO), which has held that half since 1989.[1]
Turkish Airlines owns 50% of SunExpress rather than all of it.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Türk Hava Yolları A.O. (50% stake) reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- None recorded
- Owner HQ
- 🇹🇷 Turkey, Istanbul
- Origin
- 🇹🇷 Turkey, Antalya
- Founded
- 1989
- Category
- Travel & hospitality › Airlines › Airlines
- Parent ticker
- BIST: THYAO
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About SunExpress
SunExpress is the leisure airline that Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa established together at Antalya in 1989, and the two still hold it jointly: the shareholding is 50 per cent Turkish Airlines, 49 per cent Lufthansa AG and 1 per cent other shareholders. It is a market leader in holiday traffic between Türkiye and central Europe, carried around 16 million passengers in 2025 with a fleet of 85 aircraft, and has doubled that fleet over the past five years. Turkish Airlines accounts for it as a joint venture rather than consolidating it as a subsidiary.
Ownership timeline of SunExpress
- 1989 – present Turkish Airlines (50%) [1] reported
Where SunExpress sits in Turkish Airlines
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Turkish Airlines ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Turkish Airlines in travel & hospitality
Latest news about SunExpress
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of SunExpress?
SunExpress has no sole parent company: it is half-owned by Turkish Airlines, a publicly listed company headquartered in Turkey.
Is SunExpress Turkish?
Yes. SunExpress originated in Turkey in 1989 and its owner, Turkish Airlines, is also headquartered in Turkey.
Since when has Turkish Airlines owned SunExpress?
Turkish Airlines has held half of SunExpress since 1989.
Is SunExpress still owned by Turkish Airlines?
Yes. As of 23 September 2026, SunExpress is still half-owned by Turkish Airlines. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Turkish Airlines Integrated Annual Report 2025 — Türk Hava Yolları A.O., Annual report; retrieved 23 September 2026.
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