Charter airline Excel set its sights on the London Stock Exchange today after announcing plans for a possible flotation later this year.
A spokesman for Excel's Greek Cypriot owner Libra Holidays said the proposals were at an early stage and still hinged on market conditions.
Libra has not provided a value for Excel but said that it was likely to retain control of the operation by holding more than 50 per cent of shares.
Crawley-based Excel will fly around 1.4 million seats this year to a number of European destinations from Gatwick and Manchester.
The operation, whose chairman is former British Airways executive Eamonn Mullaney, has a fleet of six Boeing 737s and was launched last year following the takeover of Sabre Airways by Libra.
It is thought Excel will debut on the AIM market, although Libra said progress on the new issue depended on "prevailing market conditions".
The airline prides itself on "quality and punctuality", offering leather seats and hiring Paul Costelloe to design cabin staff uniforms.
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