SunExpress Deutschland
A German leisure-airline subsidiary of SunExpress that operated short- and medium-haul routes and, for a period, long-haul flights for Eurowings before being liquidated in 2020.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
SunExpress Deutschland GmbH was a German leisure airline and subsidiary of SunExpress. It was established on 8 June 2011 to operate international passenger services under a German air operator certificate, initially focusing on links between Germany and the Red Sea. The company began flying on 2 November 2011 with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Its creation gave the SunExpress group a German operating platform and enabled it to serve leisure markets from German airports under German regulatory authorization. The airline was headquartered in Gateway Gardens at Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Hesse, and used Frankfurt as its main base. It also operated from a number of other German airports, including Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart. Its network expanded beyond the original Red Sea operation into a broad set of leisure destinations in Southern Europe, Turkey, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. Routes listed during its later years included services to Turkish cities such as Antalya, İzmir, Ankara, Istanbul, Bodrum, Dalaman, Gaziantep and Trabzon, as well as destinations in Greece, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco. The airline also served selected European destinations, including Oslo and several German domestic departure points. A major change in the company’s role came in 2015. The Lufthansa Group announced that SunExpress Deutschland would operate Eurowings’ new long-haul program from Cologne Bonn Airport beginning in November of that year. To perform this work, the airline leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft. It subsequently operated long-haul services for Eurowings to destinations in the Caribbean, North America, Mexico, South America-adjacent leisure markets, Africa, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Examples of destinations associated with this operation included Cancún, Havana, Varadero, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Bridgetown, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Fort Myers, Seattle, Bangkok, Phuket, Mauritius and Windhoek. This arrangement made SunExpress Deutschland not only a Mediterranean leisure carrier but also an important operating platform for another airline’s long-haul network. The company remained closely tied to the wider SunExpress and Lufthansa-related airline structure rather than functioning as a fully independent global brand. Its passenger proposition centered on leisure travel, seasonal international routes and flights connecting German-speaking markets with holiday destinations. The business combined its own branded network with aircraft and services operated on behalf of Eurowings. On 23 June 2020, SunExpress announced that SunExpress Deutschland would cease operations during 2020 and be orderly liquidated. Parts of its route network were to be transferred to SunExpress and Eurowings. The decision ended the German subsidiary’s independent operating existence. SunExpress Deutschland is therefore a defunct airline brand rather than an active carrier, although elements of its network and operating responsibilities continued through its parent and affiliated airline arrangements.
History
SunExpress Deutschland GmbH was created on 8 June 2011 as a German subsidiary of SunExpress, the airline jointly owned by Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. The subsidiary was established to operate international leisure flights using a German air operator certificate. Its initial commercial purpose was to connect Germany with destinations around the Red Sea, and it began service on 2 November 2011 with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The airline’s network subsequently broadened. While Turkey became one of its most important markets, the carrier also served holiday destinations in Southern Europe, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. Its German base structure centered on Frankfurt Airport, with additional bases or operating stations at airports including Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart. By the later part of the 2010s, listed destinations included Turkish cities such as Antalya, İzmir, Ankara, Istanbul, Bodrum, Dalaman, Gaziantep and Trabzon. The carrier also operated routes to Greece, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Norway. The company took on a broader aviation role in 2015 when the Lufthansa Group announced that it would operate Eurowings’ new long-haul services from Cologne Bonn Airport. Operations began in November 2015. SunExpress Deutschland leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft for this program and flew on behalf of Eurowings to a range of long-haul leisure destinations. The network included Caribbean destinations such as Havana, Varadero, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, Montego Bay and Bridgetown; North American destinations including Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Las Vegas and Seattle; and intercontinental points such as Cancún, Bangkok, Phuket, Mauritius and Windhoek. This contract expanded the subsidiary’s role from a German-based Mediterranean leisure operator to a carrier also supporting a major long-haul program for an affiliated airline brand. SunExpress Deutschland’s business model therefore combined two functions: operating flights under its own identity, particularly on routes from Germany to Turkey and other holiday regions, and providing aircraft and operational capacity for Eurowings. The company was headquartered at Gateway Gardens near Frankfurt Airport and remained part of the wider SunExpress structure rather than becoming an independent publicly listed airline. On 23 June 2020, SunExpress announced that SunExpress Deutschland would cease all operations during 2020 and be orderly liquidated. The parent company and Eurowings were expected to take over portions of its route network. The shutdown ended the subsidiary’s separate airline operation and left SunExpress Deutschland as a defunct German carrier.
- 2020
Operations discontinued
[1]SunExpress announced the cessation and orderly liquidation of the German subsidiary, with parts of its network moving to SunExpress and Eurowings.
- 2015
Eurowings long-haul operating role announced
[1]The Lufthansa Group selected SunExpress Deutschland to operate Eurowings’ new long-haul program from Cologne Bonn Airport.
- 2011
SunExpress Deutschland founded
[1]SunExpress established its German subsidiary on 8 June to operate international leisure services under a German air operator certificate.
- 2011
Commercial operations begin
[1]The airline began flying on 2 November with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft, initially serving Germany–Red Sea routes.
Products and positioning
A German-based leisure airline serving holiday and diaspora markets, with a strong focus on Turkey and the Mediterranean and a secondary role as a long-haul operating carrier for Eurowings.
Short- and medium-haul leisure aviation · 2011
Boeing 737-800 passenger services
The airline began operations with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft. These aircraft supported the subsidiary’s core international leisure network from Germany, particularly routes to Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, Southern Europe and North Africa.
Long-haul airline operations · 2015
Eurowings long-haul operations
From November 2015, SunExpress Deutschland operated long-haul services for Eurowings using leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The program connected Germany with leisure destinations in the Caribbean, North America, Mexico, Africa, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
Brand decisions
2020
Orderly liquidation of the German subsidiaryStrategyBackground
SunExpress announced that its German subsidiary would no longer continue as a separate operating airline.
Action taken
The company planned to cease all operations during 2020 and transfer parts of its route network to SunExpress and Eurowings.
Aftermath
SunExpress Deutschland became a defunct airline brand and its independent operating platform was wound down.
2015
Expansion into Eurowings long-haul operationsStrategyBackground
The Lufthansa Group was developing a new long-haul operation for Eurowings from Cologne Bonn Airport.
Action taken
SunExpress Deutschland was appointed to operate the program and received leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft for the assignment.
Aftermath
The subsidiary added an intercontinental operating role alongside its established leisure network from Germany.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sunexpress-deutschland · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled