JNActive

Excel Airways

United Kingdom · EXPO

Routes

Hubs

XLA

ICAO

IATA

TravelerPulse profile

British charter airline serving holiday destinations worldwide.

Founded

1994

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Excel Airways was a British leisure and charter airline that operated from the late 1990s until 2008. The carrier focused primarily on package holiday flights, transporting tourists from UK airports to popular destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, and beyond. The airline operated under the IATA code JN and ICAO code XLA, with the radio callsign EXPO. It was a significant player in the UK charter market during its operational years, competing with other leisure carriers such as Monarch and Thomsonfly. Excel Airways ceased operations in September 2008 following financial difficulties, becoming one of several UK charter airlines to collapse during the global economic downturn of that period. Its parent company XL Leisure Group entered administration, grounding the airline and stranding thousands of passengers abroad.

Hubs & network

Excel Airways primarily operated from London Gatwick Airport, with additional services from Manchester, Birmingham, and other UK regional airports.

Fleet

Excel Airways operated a fleet that included Boeing 737s, Boeing 757s, and Boeing 767s for its charter and leisure routes.

Notable facts

›Excel Airways was part of the XL Leisure Group, one of the UK's largest travel companies at the time.
›The airline collapsed in September 2008 when XL Leisure Group entered administration.
›The failure of XL Leisure Group was one of the largest travel company collapses in UK history.
›Thousands of passengers were stranded abroad when the airline ceased operations without warning.
›Excel Airways had previously acquired and rebranded from Sabre Airways in its early history.

Wikipedia

This profile is provided for general information only. Contact details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airline's official website before acting on them.

Primary hubs

Tirana International Airport Mother TeresaTIA · 3 rts Alghero-Fertilia AirportAHO · 1 rts Bologna Guglielmo Marconi AirportBLQ · 1 rts Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International AirportFCO · 1 rts Verona Villafranca Valerio Catullo AirportVRN · 1 rts Milan Malpensa International AirportMXP · 1 rts

Route network map (8 legs)

Leaflet © OpenStreetMap © CARTO

Route network

TIA → BLQ320

TIA → MXP320

TIA → VRN320

AHO → FCO320

BLQ → TIA320

FCO → AHO320

VRN → TIA320

MXP → TIA320

Fleet (aircraft types operated)

Airbus A3208 routes

Encyclopaedia

XL Airways was a British low-cost charter and scheduled airline, which ceased operations when it went into administration on 12 September 2008. Its headquarters were in Crawley, West Sussex, near London Gatwick Airport. It was part of the XL Leisure Group. From its three bases at London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow, the airline provided short-haul and long-haul charter services, predominantly to leisure destinations. The airline also operated services from Newcastle, Bristol, East Midlands, Birmingham and Ireland West (Knock).

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