TURKEY is increasingly becoming a favourite holiday destination for us Scots and it’s no wonder.
The country has fabulous resorts dotted along it’s massive coastline, from the Aegean to the Med, thousands of hotels to suit all tastes, from 2* to 5* luxury and near year-round fabulous weather.
And now it is even easier to get to thanks to new daily flights launching from Glasgow this week from award-winning airline SunExpress.
The carrier will operate four flights a week to Antalya on Mondays, Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays, with the first taking to the skies tomorrow (FRID).
They will also operate two weekly flights to Dalaman, starting on Saturday, with the other weekly flight taking to the skies on Tuesdays.
The airline, owned jointly by Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa, began flights to Turkey from Edinburgh in 2022.
They now fly daily to Antalya from the capital, four times a week to Dalaman (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) and two weekly services to the popular resort of Izmir (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Chief executive Max Kownatzki estimates passenger numbers on the airline’s services between Scotland and Turkey will increase from 85,000 last year to 185,000 this year.
In total SunExpress, which was named Best Leisure Airline in Europe in the Skytrax awards in 2023 and 24, plan to fly over 1.7 million holidaymakers from the UK to Turkey this year.
Tobias Bracht, Head of Sales for SunExpress, said: “We are thrilled to launch of our exciting new routes from Glasgow direct to Antalya and Dalaman – two of Turkey’s most popular destinations.
“We are dedicated to offering exceptional value and convenience to our passengers with direct flights and look forward to connecting them with Turkey.”
SunExpress offers a range of ticket fare options with the basic SunEco option including at least 20kgs of checked baggage on international flights.
Passengers can upgrade to SunClassic and SunPremium fares with added benefits including increased baggage allowance, pre-flight seat selection, inclusive onboard meals and the ability to amend bookings without extra charge.
Christopher Tibbett, Aero Director at AGS Airports, which owns Glasgow Airport, said: “We are thrilled to offer a warm welcome to SunExpress, which is a new airline partner for Glasgow Airport.
“Both Antalya and Dalaman are firm favourites with our customers, so the addition of an extra 1,200 seats per week bound for two of Turkey’s most popular destinations is fantastic news.”
Mr Kownatzki, who took over as CEO of SunExpress in 2020, said they would look at the success of the new routes this summer before deciding on year-round connectivity.
And drawing inspiration from Scotland’s passion for golf, SunExpress’ passengers from Glasgow will also be able to tee off against picturesque backdrops and experience the perfect blend of leisure and adventure with the airline’s SunExpress Golf Club programme, launched in January.
Turkey ranks the third most popular golf destination in Europe behind Spain and Portugal and Mr Kownatzki flagged SunExpress’s success in building on that golfing demand.
Members benefit from attractive travel advantages including SunPriority Package (priority at check-in, boarding and baggage reclaim), free lounge access with fast track at the Antalya Airport, as well as free golf baggage check-in.
At participating golf clubs, members also receive various discounts, including free rounds of golf and can bag themselves hotel upgrades (subject to availability), free transfers and discounts on other green fees.
Participating partners include Bilyana Golf Holidays, Cullinan Belek Hotel, Gloria Hotels & Resorts, Gloria Golf Club, Antalya Golf Club, Voyage Belek Golf &Spa Hotel, Maxx Royal Montgomerie Golf Club, Regnum Carya Hotel ( entitled to free entrance for Land of Legends Theme Park) and Sueno Hotels.
See sunexpressgolfclub.com for more info and prices.
