German airlines, tour operators resume holiday flights to Turkey

FRANKFURT, July 17 (Reuters) - Lufthansa and tour operators Thomas Cook AG and TUI (LSE: 0NLA.L - news) resumed flights from Germany to Turkey on Sunday, where 200,000 Germans are on summer holiday, following the failed coup against President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey widened a crackdown on suspected supporters of the military coup attempt, taking the number of people rounded up in the armed forces and judiciary to 6,000, and the government said it was in full control of the country and economy.

Lufthansa has resumed flying to Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bodrum, the company said on Sunday. Only a flight between Istanbul and Frankfurt as well as a flight between Munich and Ankara had been cancelled, a spokesman for Lufthansa said.

Lufthansa unit Eurowings has also resumed flights to Turkey.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook AG said, "On Saturday and Sunday, the planes took off for Turkey, only a select few guests did not take their flight."

A spokeswoman for TUI Deutschland said flights had resumed and of the 18,000 people currently on holiday in Turkey, only 30 had opted to come back early. Most German tourists are staying in and around Antalya. "It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) is a normal Sunday for us," she said.

(Reporting by Peter Maushagen, Till Weber, writing by Edward Taylor, editing by David Evans)