SunExpress Airlines, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, held the 4th edition of its SunExpress Golf Cup earlier this year in Antalya, Turkey, where travel trade and travel media were invited to test their golfing skills. The logistics and ground handling were organised efficiently by local tour operator Bilyana Golf Holidays. A practice round was played at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Gulf Club and the tournament at Gloria Golf Course, where prizes for the ladies and men nearest the pin, longest drive as well as the main prizes for the best overall net and gross scores were awarded.
Kim Thomson, TTN’s Publishing Director joined the SunExpress Golf Cup and caught up with Michael Schober, SunExpress Airlines, Senior Manager, B2B Relations to learn more about the airline, its current network and expansion plans, and the recently launched Golf Club by SunExpress.
“Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines decided to have a full charter airline to bring tourists from Germany to Antalya especially during the cold winter months in Europe,” Schober says. “We started with just two aircraft and one by one, we expanded our network and added more aircraft.
“We have gone from running charters to now operating only scheduled flights serving 26 countries, all over Europe, including UK, the Balkans and the Middle East. We do have allocation for tour operators, but all flights have seat-only capacity.”
“Last summer, we operated 75 aircraft, all Boeing 737s. This year, we'll have up to 83 and within the next eight-nine years, 166 aircraft. We need new destinations,” adds Schober.
“We’ve already expanded to Dubai, we operate to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Bahrain. From Dubai, we fly to Antalya, Izmir as well as Trabzon in Turkey. We will expand the number of flights because this is going very well.”
The airline also connects Dubai to regional airports in the UK and Germany, and not just to Turkey, Schober explains. “From Stuttgart, there are no nonstop flight to Dubai, so people who fly from Stuttgart, have to transfer and take connecting flights. We offer Stuttgart to Antalya or Izmir to Dubai with just a 1½ hours stop – it’s a good alternative to what others offer. The same is true for regional airports in the UK, like Liverpool and some airports in Scotland, where we try to connect them as a feeder to our Dubai flight.
“Beyond Europe, we have an interline agreement with Lufthansa, especially for the US.”
SunExpress recently launched its Golf Club by SunExpress, which offers its members numerous perks such as additional baggage allowances for golf equipment, priority check in, boarding and baggage claim. It also offers special privileges at partnering golf clubs and hotels. Tour operators can purchase these memberships at a reduced price, then offer them to their clients as part of their packages.
“The summer is easy, as people come for the sun and beach, but we wanted to show those customers that its worthwhile to come to Antalya in the winter and not only for golf, but for a variety of sports. Football, tennis and cycling, and golf, of course, is a big component.
“Golfers love to travel, they have a choice to go to Spain and Portugal but the weather is a little better here in Antalya and it can be better value for money,” says Schober.
* Find SunExpress at ITB Berlin Hall 25, stand 118
RIXOS PREMIUM BELEK
There are many hotels to choose from in Antalya but Rixos Premium Belek comes highly recommended. Set in a pine and walnut forest on the shores of the Mediterranean coast, it offers a sandy beach, numerous restaurants and bars, five pools, the Anjana Spa. Golfers will, of course, have access to 14 golf courses all within 7 miles or less, but the property’s all-inclusive packages offer something for every holidaymaker, summer or winter. Rixos Premium Belek guests also receive special privileges at the neighbouring Land of Legends, including complimentary roundtrip shuttles, VIP entrance and more. The Land of Legends, Turkey’s largest theme park with over 40 attractions, entertainment and a shopping mall, is owned by Rixos Hotels. There are two hotels within the park as well, the 401-room Kingdom Hotel and The Nickelodeon Hotel (opening this month), where rooms are all themed with Nickelodeon characters such as Sponge Bob, Ninja Turtles and Paw Patrol, among others.