The Boeing 757 was very popular with leisure airlines in the UK for operating charter flights as part of inclusive tours and seat-only services to destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and sometimes on longer routes to the United States and the Caribbean.

The 757 offered these airlines a number of attributes including a range of up to 3,915nm for the 757-200 and 3,400nm for the -300 variant.

In an all economy, single class seating arrangement the 757-200 is able to carry up to 239 passengers, while the -300 variant can accommodate 295 passengers. It also possessed an impressive fuel efficiency and reliability compared with other jet airliners when it first entered into service in 1983.

The following account provides an overview of the Boeing 757 fleets used by most of the UK leisure airlines over the past 41 years.

Air Europe

Boeing 757-236 G-BKRM of Air Europe. (Eduard Marmet, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Air Europe took delivery of its first 757-200 (G-BIKF) on 30 April 1983 and went on to operate seventeen 757s until its collapse in March 1991.

Fleet: G-BIKF, G-BKRM, G-BLVH, G-BNSD, G-BNSE, G-BNSF, G-BOHC, G-BPGW, G-BPSN, G-BRJD, G-BRJE, G-BRJF, G-BRJG, G-BRJH, G-BRJI, G-BRJJ, C-GTDL (wet-lease from Odyssey International, 1990)

Airtours International Airways

Boeing 757-225 G-MCEA of Airtours International Airways. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Airtours received its first two 757-200s from Inter European Airways in 1993 following Airtours plc’s purchase of Aspro Travel and its in-house airline. Airtours operated seven 757-200s between 1993 and 2002, before it was renamed MyTravel Airways (UK).

Fleet: G-CSVS, G-LCRC, G-PIDS, G-JALC, G-WJAN, G-RJGR and G-MCEA.

Air 2000

Boeing 757-225 G-OOOV of Air 2000. (Kambui, licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Established in April 1987, Air 2000 operated twenty-seven 757-200s between 1987 and early 2004, when it was renamed First Choice Airways. Sixteen 757s were transferred to First Choice.

Fleet: G-OOOH, G-OOOJ, G-OOOI, G-BKRM, G-OOOS, G-OOOT, G-OOOW, G-OOOV, G-OOOA, G-OOOU, G-OOOY, G-OOOB, G-OOOM, G-OOOG, G-OOOD, G-OOBB, G-OOBA, G-OOOX, G-CPEP, G-OOOK, G-CPEU, G-CPEV, G-OOBC, G-OOBD, G-OOOZ, G-OOBE, G-OOOC (C-FTDV: wet-lease from Skyservice Airlines, 2003)

Ambassador Airways

Boeing 757-236 G-BUDZ of Ambassador Airways. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Ambassador Airways, the in-house airline of tour operator Best Travel, operated four 757-200s between 1993 and 1994.

Fleet: G-BRJI, G-BUDX, G-BUDZ and G-SRJG

Britannia Airways

Boeing 757-204 G-BYAE of Britannia Airways. (Jean-Pierre Tabone Adami, licensed under GFDL 1.2)

Britannia Airways acquired its first Boeing 757-200 in May 1991 (G-BTEJ). The carrier went on to operate a further twenty-eight 757-200s until it was rebranded as Thomsonfly in 2004. At the time of re-branding, the fleet comprised twenty 757-200s.

Fleet: G-BTEJ, G-BXOL, G-BYAC, G-BYAD, G-BYAE, G-BYAF, G-BYAG, G-BYAH, G-BYAI, G-BYAJ, G-BYAK, G-BYAL, G-BYAM, G-BYAN, G-BYAO, G-BYAP, G-BYAR, G-BYAS, G-BYAT, G-BYAU, G-BYAW, G-BYAX, G-BYAY, G-CDUO, G-CDUP, G-OAHF, G-OAHI, G-OAHK

Caledonian Airways (1988-2000)

Boeing 757-236 G-BPEE of Caledonian Airways. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

British Airways’ subsidiary, British Airtours, was renamed Caledonian Airways in 1988 following the take-over of British Caledonian by British Airways. Caledonian Airways operated eight 757-200s between 1989 and 1995, six of which were leased from parent company British Airways.

Fleet: G-BMRJ, G-BPEA, G-BPEB, G-BPEC, G-BPEE, G-BPEF, G-BPEH and G-BUDX

Excel Airways/XL Airways

Boeing 757-2Y0 G-VKNA of Excel Airways. (Konstantin von Wedelstaedt, licensed under GFDL 1.2)

Boeing 757-225 G-VKNC of XL Airways. (Dale Coleman, licensed under GFDL 1.2)

Former Sabre Airways was renamed Excel Airways in 2000. Following the purchase of the XL Leisure Group in 2006, Excel Airways was re-branded XL Airways but the company went into administration in September 2008. Excel Airways operated five Boeing 757-200s (including one on a wet-lease arrangement). Three examples were transferred to XL Airways.

Fleet: Excel Airways: G-VKNA, G-VKNB, G-VKNC, G-VKND, OH-LBS (wet-lease from Finnair)

XL Airways: G-VKNA, G-VKNC, G-VKND

First Choice Airways

Boeing 757-28A G-OOBF of First Choice Airways. (Martin J.Galloway, licensed under CC BY 2.5)

First Choice began operations in March 2004 and used twenty 757-200s through to the completion of its merger with Thomsonfly in May 2009 to form Thomson Airways. Fifteen 757s were transferred to Thomson Airways following the merger.

Fleet: G-CPEP, G-CPEU, G-CPEV, G-OOBA, G-OOBC, G-OOBD, G-OOBE, G-OOBF, G-OOBG, G-OOBH, G-OOBI, G-OOBJ, G-OOOB, G-OOOD, G-OOOG, G-OOOK, G-OOOX, G-OOOY, G-OOOZ, C-GTBB (wet-lease from Skyservice Airlines)

Flying Colours

Boeing 757-28A G-FCLA of Flying Colours. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Flying Colours began operations in March 1997 with a fleet of four Boeing 757-200s. It went on to operate twelve 757-200s which subsequently became part of JMC Airlines following the merger of Flying Colours with Caledonian Airways in March 2000.

Fleet: G-FCLA, G-FCLB, G-FCLC, G-FCLD, G-FCLE, G-FCLF, G-FCLG, G-FCLH, G-FCLI, G-FCLJ, G-FCLK, C-FOOE (wet-lease from Canada 3000 Airlines)

Flyjet/Silverjet

Boeing 757-23A G-FJEB of Flyjet. (Dale Coleman, licensed under GFDL 1.2)

Charter airline Flyjet operated from June 2003 to October 2006, after which it was acquired by Silverjet. Two Boeing 757-200s were operated under the Flyjet charter brand between 2003 and 2007.

Fleet: G-FJEA, G-FJEB

Inter European Airways

Boeing 757-23A G-IEAB of Inter European Airways. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

In February 1990, Inter European took delivery of a new Boeing 757-23A (G-IEAB) but the aircraft spent its first year on lease to Air Holland before entering into service with Inter European at the beginning of May 1991. Three more 757-200s were acquired in April 1992. Inter European became part of Airtours International at the end of the 1993 summer season.

Fleet: G-IEAB, G-IEAC, G-IEAD, G-OAHK

Jet2.com

Boeing 757-236 G-LSAD of Jet2.com (Nigel Richardson)

Jet2.com is the last British airline to operate passenger-carrying Boeing 757s. It acquired its first two 757-200s in May 2005 and has operated sixteen examples (including two on wet-lease arrangements) up to the present day. It currently has six 757s in service (as of April 2024).

Fleet: G-LSAA, G-LSAB, G-LSAC (active), G-LSAD, G-LSAE (active), G-LSAF, G-LSAG, G-LSAH, G-LSAI (active), G-LSAJ (active), G-LSAK (active), G-LSAL, G-LSAM, G-LSAN (active), G-POWH (wet-lease from Titan Airways), EC-ISY (wet-lease from Privilege Style)

JMC Airlines

Boeing 757-3CQ G-JMAA of JMC Airlines. This is the first 757-300 variant to be operated by a UK airline. (Pedro Aragão, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

JMC Air was formed from the merger of Flying Colours and Caledonian Airways. It began operations in March 2000 with a fleet of eleven Boeing 757-200s. Within several months the carrier had added five more examples to the fleet, although one aircraft was only wet-leased for the summer season. JMC became the first airline in the UK to operate the stretched 757-300 variant when it took delivery of two aircraft in April and May 2001 (G-JMAA and G-JMAB). JMC was renamed Thomas Cook Airlines UK in 2003.

Fleet: Boeing 757-200: G-FCLA, G-FCLB, G-FCLC, G-FCLD, G-FCLE, G-FCLF, G-FCLG, G-FCLH, G-FCLI, G-FCLJ, G-FCLK, G-JMCD, G-JMCE, G-JMCF, G-JMCG, C-FXOO (wet-lease from Canada 3000 Airlines)

Boeing 757-300: G-JMAA, G-JMAB

Monarch Airlines

Push-back of Monarch’s Boeing 757-28A G-MCKE at Zurich in April 1995. (Aero Icarus, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Monarch Airlines was the third operator of the Boeing 757-200 after Eastern Air Lines and British Airways, and the first charter airline to use the type. It took delivery of its first aircraft in March 1983 and went on to operate ten examples before the final three aircraft were withdrawn in late November 2014.

Fleet: EI-MON, G-DAJB, G-DRJC, G-MCKE, G-MONB, G-MONC, G-MOND, G-MONE, G-MONJ, G-MONK

MyTravel Airways

Boeing 757-225 G-RJGR of MyTravel Airways (Paul Spikers, licensed under GFDL 1.2)

MyTravel Airways began operations in May 2002 following the re-branding of Airtours International. It operated seven Boeing 757-200s but these were phased out by November 2006, bringing to an end thirteen years in service with Airtours and MyTravel by this popular aircraft type.

Fleet: G-CCMY, G-JALC, G-LCRC, G-MCEA, G-PIDS, G-RJGR, G-WJAN

Thomas Cook Airlines UK

Boeing 757-236 G-TCBB of Thomas Cook Airlines. (Nigel Richardson)

Thomas Cook Airlines came into effect in March 2003 and through to the end of 2015 it operated nineteen Boeing 757-300s. In addition, it utilised five Boeing 757-300s through to late 2018, including three which were periodically transferred from its sister airline, Condor.

Fleet: Boeing 757-200: G-FCLA, G-FCLB, G-FCLC, G-FCLD, G-FCLE, G-FCLF, G-FCLG, G-FCLH, G-FCLI, G-FCLJ, G-FCLK, G-JMCD, G-JMCE, G-JMCF, G-JMCG, G-TCBA,G-TCBB, G-TCBC, G-WJAN

Boeing 757-300: G-JMAA, G-JMAB, G-JMOE (D-ABOE), G-JMOF (D-ABOF), G-JMOG (D-ABOG)

Thomsonfly

Boeing 757-204 G-BYAW of Thomsonfly. (Kambui, licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Thomsonfly operated twenty-one 757-200s between 2004 and 2009, when it was merged with First Choice Airways to form Thomson Airways. Thirteen 757s were transferred to Thomson Airways.

Fleet: G-BYAD, G-BYAE, G-BYAF, G-BYAH, G-BYAI, G-BYAJ, G-BYAK, G-BYAL, G-BYAN, G-BYAO, G-BYAP, G-BYAR, G-BYAS, G-BYAT, G-BYAU, G-BYAW, G-BYAX, G-BYAY, G-CDUP, G-OOOX, G-CDUO (PH-AAR)

Thomson Airways

Boeing 757-236 G-CPEV of Thomson Airways. (Nigel Richardson)

Formed from the merger of Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways, Thomson Airways operated thirty-one Boeing 757-200s between May 2009 and October 2017.

Fleet: G-BYAD, G-BYAH, G-BYAI, G-BYAK, G-BYAL, G-BYAO, G-BYAP, G-BYAS, G-BYAT, G-BYAU, G-BYAW, G-BYAX, G-BYAY, G-CPEP, G-CPEU, G-CPEV, G-OOBA, G-OOBB, G-OOBC, G-OOBD, G-OOBE, G-OOBF, G-OOBG, G-OOBH, G-OOBI, G-OOBJ, G-OOBN, G-OOBP, G-OOBR, G-OOOX, G-OOOZ

TUI Airways

Boeing 757-28A G-OOBD of TUI Airways. (Nigel Richardson)

In October 2017 Thomson Airways changed its name to TUI Airways. TUI operated fourteen 757-200s before retiring its last examples in October 2021.

Fleet: G-BYAW, G-BYAY, G-CPEU, G-CPEV, G-OOBA, G-OOBB, G-OOBC, G-OOBD, G-OOBE, G-OOBF, G-OOBG, G-OOBH, G-OOBN, G-OOBP

Boeing 757 Timelines

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