Excalibur Airways

Excalibur Airways

Company type	Charter airline
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1992 (1992-) in England
Defunct	June 1996 (1996-06)
Headquarters	Castle Donington, Leicestershire , England, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, Mediterranean, North Africa, Israel, Florida, Caribbean
Products	Charter airline services

Excalibur Airways was a charter airline headquartered in England, with its main office situated at East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington, Leicestershire.

Code data

• IATA Code: EXC
• ICAO Code: EX
• Callsign: Initially CAMELOT, later changed to EXCALIBUR

History

Established in the spring of 1992 and operating from East Midlands Airport, Excalibur commenced charter services using three leased Airbus A320 aircraft, predominantly operating flights from London Gatwick. By 1994, the airline had expanded its fleet to include an extra A320 along with a Boeing 737-300. Notably, Excalibur was the first UK charter carrier to utilize the A320 equipped with the advanced fly-by-wire technology.

The airline specialized in holiday charter routes mainly to destinations in Egypt, as well as resorts across the Mediterranean and North Africa. In 1994, it launched direct flights from Gatwick to Eilat (ETH) in southern Israel—providing passengers access to a more centrally located airport compared to rivals flying into Ovda (VDA). However, return journeys necessitated a refuelling stop at Tel Aviv (TLV) due to aircraft weight limitations.

By the summer of 1995, Excalibur operated a total of five aircraft: two from Gatwick, one each from Manchester and East Midlands, and one serving northeastern airports including Newcastle and Humberside. Its routes covered Egypt, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, the Canary Islands, Iceland, as well as non-leisure destinations such as Frankfurt. Throughout 1995, the fleet was composed solely of A320s.

Towards the end of 1995, aiming to penetrate long-haul markets like Florida and the Caribbean, Excalibur acquired a larger Douglas DC-10-30. Nevertheless, losing most of its medium-haul charter contracts created operational difficulties that led tour operators to discontinue their partnerships. Passenger confidence was further undermined following a DC-10 incident involving smoke and an aborted takeoff. As a result, Excalibur ceased all operations in June 1996.

Fleet

• 7 – Airbus A320-212
• 1 – Boeing 737-3Q8
• 1 – Douglas DC-10-30

Aircraft Registrations

A320 – G-BWKO, G-HAGT, G-OEXC, G-BWCP, G-SCSR, G-KMAM, G-BWKN B737 – G-OCHA DC10 – V2-LEH

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom