Private company

Air Exel

Regional airline of the Netherlands (1991–2005)

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.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1991Founded1
  • HeadquartersMaastricht1
Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, Air Exel AN0195090
Photo: JetPix, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons4

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.2

The story

The airline was established on 26 April 1991 as Air Exel Commuter on a co-operational base with Dutch national carrier KLM. 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.

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.

From Wikipedia’s article on Air Exel, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Destinations

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

France

Nantes – Nantes Atlantique Airport

Paris – Charles de Gaulle Airport

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Saint-Étienne – Saint-Étienne–Bouthéon Airport

Strasbourg – Strasbourg Airport

Italy

Cuneo – Cuneo International Airport

Milan – Milan Malpensa Airport

Netherlands

Amsterdam – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Eindhoven – Eindhoven Airport (secondary hub)

Maastricht – Maastricht Aachen Airport (main hub)

Norway

Kristiansand – Kjevik Airport

United Kingdom

London – London Stansted Airport

Germany

Hamburg – Fuhlsbüttel Airport

Fleet

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

Historic fleet

Air Exel's fleet consisted of:

From Wikipedia’s article on Air Exel, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. Jan 31, 2005Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1991Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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