TÜRKIYE has been added as a possible holiday destination for anyone planning to travel from Cork Airport next summer.
A new, twice-weekly service to Izmir will be part of the airport's 2025 summer schedule, commencing on May 31st and operating until October.
The new service, run by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines joint venture carrier, SunExpress Airlines, follows strong demand for a direct Turkish route from Cork Airport.
İzmir, situated on the Aegean coastline is one of Türkiye’s most popular holiday destinations. The climate is warm all year round, with average summer temperatures ranging between 27°C and 34°C.
In welcoming the announcement of the new SunExpress service to İzmir, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, James Lawless TD said: 'I am delighted that SunExpress is launching this new route from Cork Airport. This service will bring increased options for travellers from Cork and the wider region to fly directly to their chosen holiday destinations. Cork Airport is going from strength to strength, and I am confident that the strong growth we’ve seen so far this year at Cork and across our regional airports will continue.
'I welcome the addition of a new airline and new destination to Cork’s route network, building on recent announcements of other new routes. This is further evidence that demand exists for new services to and from our regional airports. I wholeheartedly believe there is latent demand for further options to fly from airports aside from Dublin airport, indeed two in five people who fly out of Dublin come from outside the greater Dublin areas, so of course they would welcome further choice from Cork and other regional airports, and I am working to expand the connectivity to the regions.'
Tara Finn, Head of Aviation Business Development & Communications at Cork Airport said: “I’m thrilled to announce the addition of İzmir to the route network at Cork Airport ahead of next summer. Operated by SunExpress, the addition of a Turkish destination will undoubtedly be a highlight of our extensive range of holiday routes next summer. We have noted strong demand in the market for a direct Turkish route from Cork Airport and I would like to thank SunExpress for establishing this new service.”
SunExpress is a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines and provides direct connections between Europe and Türkiye. Voted as “Europe’s Best Leisure Airline” in both 2023 and 2024, SunExpress will be the ninth carrier to operate at Cork Airport during the 2025 summer season.
