When interviewing the chief executive of SunExpress, what was particularly striking was the momentum of the airline.

This joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa has nearly doubled its capacity from what it was just before the coronavirus pandemic.

And chief executive Max Kownatzki has clear ambitions to continue the airline’s rapid growth.

I chatted to Mr Kownatzki last week, just ahead of SunExpress’s launch of two new routes from Glasgow Airport to popular Turkish destinations.

The discussion underlined the general appetite for overseas travel, in the UK of course where SunExpress has already built a major presence but also in the likes of Germany, where demand has been such that the airline’s impressive total of 13 daily flights from Cologne and Dusseldorf to Antalya has seen it nicknamed the “Antalya express”.

And, in a UK context, the interview was another encouraging sign that overall demand for overseas travel is remaining buoyant in spite of what are very challenging economic times.

Another thing which came across plainly was the extent to which SunExpress is innovating and diversifying to build demand and reduce the seasonality of its business.

Mr Kownatzki highlighted the growth of its golf tourism business from the UK, and further potential in this area.

SunExpress highlights Turkey’s position as a top three golf destination in Europe, behind only Spain and Portugal.

Mr Kownatzki highlighted the attraction of golf tourism packages including tee times, given there can be a fair bit of paperwork involved in accessing courses in Turkey.

He also flagged the attraction of Turkish ski resorts.

And he highlighted demand for archaeological trips, and other sporting travel, whether that be tennis, cycling or participation in football camps.........

© Herald Scotland