ANKARA

As part of its coronavirus safety measures, Turkish-German airline SunExpress is giving passengers the option to book a vacant middle seat for a small fee, the company said on Wednesday. 

The offer applies to all connections in the SunExpress network, starting from 59.99 Turkish liras ($8) on domestic routes and €39.99 ($47) on international routes, the airline said in a statement.

Peter Glade, the chief commercial officer at SunExpress, said space was a major concern for many passengers, with many frequently expressing the wish for a guaranteed empty middle seat.

Based in sunny Antalya on the Turkish Mediterranean, SunExpress was founded in 1989 as a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa.

Last year, the airline saw a passenger load factor of 83% and carried an impressive total of over 10 million travelers.