Excalibur Airways
Encyclopedia
Excalibur Airways was a charter airline based in England. It had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands International Airport in Castle Donington
, North West Leicestershire
.
s and most of the flights were out of London Gatwick airport. In 1994 one more A320 and a Boeing 737-300
were added. Excalibur was the first UK charter airline to operate the A320 with its (at the time) new fly-by-wire control system.
Most of the holiday charter flights were to Egypt, although that was not the only destination since they also serviced the holiday resorts in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
By the summer of 1995, the company had two aircraft operating from London Gatwick airport, one from Manchester, one from East Midlands airport, and one operating north eastern airports, including Newcastle and Humberside. Flights were still operated to Egypt, as well as to popular Mediterranean destinations such as Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, and further afield to the Canary Islands. Some charter flights also flew to Iceland, and other non-holiday destinations such as Frankfurt.
During 1995 the company operated solely with A320 aircraft.
Then at the end of 1995 the company wanted to start flights to Florida and the Caribbean, so there was a need for a larger aircraft with more range and the Douglas DC-10-30 was chosen.
Then the airline lost most of its medium-range charter contracts and the service problems that followed forced the travel operators to withdraw their contracts, hence, Excalibur shut down in June 1996. An incident with a DC-10 seen with smoke coming from the aircraft followed by an aborted take-off shattered public confidence in the airline.
A320 - G-OEXC
A320 - G-CWCP
A320 - G-SCSR
A320 - G-KMAM
B737 - G-OCHA
DC10 - V3-LEH
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
, North West Leicestershire
North West Leicestershire
North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Coalville.The district contains East Midlands Airport, which operates flights to the rest of Britain and to various places in Europe...
.
Code data
- IATAInternational Air Transport AssociationThe International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
Code: EXC - ICAO Code: EX
- Callsign: Originally Camelot then Excalibur
Company history
Excalibur Airways was formed in the spring of 1992 and was based at the East Midlands Airport. It began charter operations with three leased Airbus A320Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s and most of the flights were out of London Gatwick airport. In 1994 one more A320 and a Boeing 737-300
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
were added. Excalibur was the first UK charter airline to operate the A320 with its (at the time) new fly-by-wire control system.
Most of the holiday charter flights were to Egypt, although that was not the only destination since they also serviced the holiday resorts in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
By the summer of 1995, the company had two aircraft operating from London Gatwick airport, one from Manchester, one from East Midlands airport, and one operating north eastern airports, including Newcastle and Humberside. Flights were still operated to Egypt, as well as to popular Mediterranean destinations such as Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, and further afield to the Canary Islands. Some charter flights also flew to Iceland, and other non-holiday destinations such as Frankfurt.
During 1995 the company operated solely with A320 aircraft.
Then at the end of 1995 the company wanted to start flights to Florida and the Caribbean, so there was a need for a larger aircraft with more range and the Douglas DC-10-30 was chosen.
Then the airline lost most of its medium-range charter contracts and the service problems that followed forced the travel operators to withdraw their contracts, hence, Excalibur shut down in June 1996. An incident with a DC-10 seen with smoke coming from the aircraft followed by an aborted take-off shattered public confidence in the airline.
Fleet details
- 7 - Airbus A320-212Airbus A320The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
- 1 - Boeing 737-3Q8Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 1 - Douglas DC-10-30
Aircraft Registrations
A320 - G-HAGTA320 - G-OEXC
A320 - G-CWCP
A320 - G-SCSR
A320 - G-KMAM
B737 - G-OCHA
DC10 - V3-LEH