Excel Airways (JN, London Gatwick) parent XL Leisure Group has been sold by Icelandic investor Avion Group to a new investment company led by CEO Philip Wyatt as part of a management buy-out. XL Leisure Group also includes Star Airlines (France) (SE/Paris CDG) and Star XL German Airlines (GXL/Frankfurt). Excel Airways has now been rebranded as XL Airways UK, Star Airlines as XL Airways France and Star XL as XL Airways Germany.

GB Airways (GT, London Gatwick) has announced new routes for next summer season:
London Gatwick-Kerkyra: 2x weekly A320-200 service starting on May 4
London Gatwick-Mykonos: 2x weekly A320-200 service starting on May 3
London Heathrow-Faro: daily A320-200 service starting on May 1
The British Airways (BA/London Heathrow) franchisee is expected to launch new routes from its original base in Gibraltar to destinations in Spain later this or early next year. It will wet-lease a B737-800 from Excel Airways (JN/London Gatwick) during for the summer timetable period of 2007.

Fly Globespan (Y2, Edinburgh) will wet-lease two B757-200s from Excel Airways (JN/London Gatwick) as of May 2007 when it will expand its Canada services. It has also announced several new routes for its next summer season:
Aberdeen-Alicante: 2x weekly service starting on April 27
Aberdeen-Barcelona: 2x weekly service starting on April 29
Aberdeen-Faro: 2x weekly service starting on April 28
Aberdeen-Murcia: 2x weekly service starting on April 29
Aberdeen-Palma de Mallorca: 2x weekly service starting on April 28
Aberdeen-Paphos: weekly service starting on May 1
Dublin-Shannon-Hamilton: weekly B757-200 service starting on May 4
Durham Tees Valley-Alicante: 3x weekly service starting on April 1
Durham Tees Valley-Faro: 2x weekly service starting on April 1
Durham Tees Valley-Malaga: 4x weekly service starting on April 2
Durham Tees Valley-Palma de Mallorca: 2x weekly service starting on April 2
Glasgow Intl-Calgary: weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 4
Glasgow Intl-Vancouver: 2x weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 4 (one flight via Calgary)
Liverpool-New York JFK: daily B757-200 service starting on May 25 (replacing earlier plans to serve Newark)
London Gatwick-Calgary: weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 1
London Gatwick-Vancouver: 3x weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 1 (one flight via Calgary)
Manchester-Calgary: weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 5
Manchester-Vancouver: 2x weekly B767-300ER service starting on May 2 (one flight via Calgary)
Fly Globespan has however not launched its previously announced Liverpool-Prague route and also given up plans to launch a route from London Stansted to Chambery in December. It has given up its London Stansted-Athens route on October 30.

Excel Airways (JN, London Gatwick) is planning to set-up a subsidiary in Ireland that will start charter operations in May 2007 with a single B737-800. Excel has leased an additional ex-Ajet (ZU/Larnaca) B737-800 and has wet-leased a MD-83 from Nordic Airways (NRD/Stockholm Arlanda).

Excel Airways (JN, London Gatwick) has wet-leased a B757-200 from Finnair (AY/Helsinki) for the summer charter season.