Air Exel
IATA ICAO Callsign
XT AXL EXEL COMMUTER
Founded26 April 1991 (1991-04-26)
(as Air Exel Commuter)
Commenced operations
  • January 1998 (1998-01)
    (as KLM exel)
  • 6 November 2004 (2004-11-06)
    (as Air Exel Netherlands)
Ceased operations31 January 2005 (2005-01-31)
HubsMaastricht Aachen Airport
Secondary hubsEindhoven Airport
Frequent-flyer programFlying Dutchman
AllianceWings Alliance (affiliate)
Parent companyKLM (1998–2004)
HeadquartersMaastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Key peopleHarm Prins (CEO)

Air Exel was a Dutch airline based in Maastricht in the Netherlands, operating scheduled and chartered flights out of Eindhoven Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport to several domestic and international destinations.

History

KLM Exel logo

The airline was established on 26 April 1991 as Air Exel Commuter on a co-operational base with Dutch national carrier KLM.[1] Scheduled flights were launched on 1 May of the same year. As part of the parent's move to integrate the services of its feeders, the company was renamed to KLM exel in January 1998. On 6 November 2004, the co-operation with KLM ended, and the airline became Air Exel Netherlands.[2] One month later, in December 2004, Air Exel's chief executive officer, Harm Prins, was arrested on charges of fraud, blackmail, and money laundering. The investigation brought to light financial difficulties with Air Exel, which was subsequently shut down on 31 January 2005.[3]

Destinations

An ATR 42 of KLM exel approaches Maastricht Aachen Airport in 2002.

Upon closure, Air Exel operated scheduled flights to the following destinations:

France
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
United Kingdom
Germany

Fleet

Over the years, the KLM Exel/Air Exel fleet consisted of the following aircraft types:[4]

KLM Exel/Air Exel former fleet
Aircraft Introduced Retired Total
(at closure)
ATR 42 1998 2005
2
ATR 72 1999 2005
1
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia 1998 2005
2
Embraer ERJ 145 2000 2004
3

References

  1. "Air Exel Commuter". Airline History. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. "KLM Exel". Airline History. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. "Chief executive Air Exel arrested". 13 December 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. KLM Exel fleet list at airfleets.net
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