Excel Airways
United Kingdom · EXPO · Active
Airline Identity
History
The airline began life as Sabre Airways, established in 1994 and launching operations on 17 December 1994; it was acquired by the Libra Holidays Group in November 2000 and rebranded Excel Airways, growing into a UK charter and leisure carrier flying Boeing 737s and 767s out of London Gatwick. In November 2006, as part of a wider group rebrand under parent XL Leisure Group, it was renamed XL Airways UK and adopted XL.com branding, continuing to operate charter and later some scheduled leisure routes from its Crawley, West Sussex base near Gatwick Airport.
Current Operations
The airline does not exist today. XL Leisure Group filed for administration on 11 September 2008, and XL Airways UK Limited and ten associated companies followed into administration the next day, immediately grounding the fleet and stranding roughly 90,000 passengers at some 50 destinations. A separate, unrelated French franchisee, XL Airways France, continued flying under license until it too ceased operations in 2019, but it was a distinct company and not a successor to the UK carrier.
Last verified 2026-09-03· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.