Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) is pushing to acquire Lufthansa's 50% stake in SunExpress (XQ, Antalya), the joint venture leisure carrier, but the German carrier is resisting, confident in the airline’s profitability, sources familiar with the discussions told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Turkish Airlines, which posted a USD2.4 billion profit in 2024, would likely pay at least USD1.25 billion for the stake, the sources said. SunExpress reported USD2.2 billion in revenue and USD164 million in net profit in 2024, carrying 15 million passengers with a fleet of 88 aircraft.

According to the sources, Turkish Airlines intends to integrate SunExpress quickly to expand Europe-Middle East routes and leverage opportunities such as the reopening of Syrian airspace.

The move follows Turkish Airlines’ recent investment plans in Spain’s Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca), highlighting its broader strategy to grow internationally, the newspaper said.

Lufthansa has declined to comment. Turkish Airlines had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.