KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., usually called Royal Dutch Airlines, commonly known by the acronym KLM (literal translation from Dutch: Royal Aviation Company) is the principal flag carrier of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport; It is part of the Air France-KLM group and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest operating airline in the world and has 35,488 employees with a fleet of 149 (excluding subsidiaries) as of 2021. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.
History
It was founded on October 7, 1919, and is today the oldest airline still operating under its initial name. Its first flight was on May 17, 1920, from London to Amsterdam, carrying two British journalists and a load of newspapers on board. It was founded 58 days before the Colombian airline Avianca, the second oldest in the world.
On September 30, 2003, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the French company Air France announced the merger of both airlines, forming a new company called Air France-KLM (affiliated to SkyTeam). Air France-KLM officially joined the SkyTeam airline alliance in September 2004.
Owns 100% of Transavia Airlines, 100% of Martinair and 26% of Kenya Airways.
Incidents and accidents
- Accident of the Rods
The aerial disaster of Tenerife (also known as Los Rodeos accident) refers to a collision between two Boeing 747 planes that occurred on 27 March 1977 at the airport of Los Rodeos (now Tenerife-Norte), in the municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, in the north of the Spanish island of Tenerife, in which five hundred and eighty-three people died.
It was the most serious air accident in 1977, the most catastrophic in an aerial collision on land and the most deadly in Spain. For the Pan Am it was the worst air wreck that involved an American aircraft, much more than American Airlines Flight 191 two years later. For the KLM it was the most deadly sinister of a Dutch aircraft over the sinister of Martinair Flight 138 three years earlier. It is also the worst global air accident in aviation history.
The sinister planes were Flight 4805, a charter flight from the Dutch airline KLM, flying from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam (Netherlands), to Gran Canaria Airport (Spain), and Flight 1736, regular flight from Pan Am, flying from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, from Los Angeles International Airport (United States), to Gran Canaria Airport.
A bomb notice at Gran Canaria airport carried out by independent canaries MPAIAC, an armed group of the Movement for Self-Determination and Independence of the Canary Islands, caused many flights to be diverted to Los Rodeos, including the two planes involved in the accident. The airport quickly congested from parked planes that blocked the only road of shooting and forced the planes that were going out to roll the track. Thick fog patches moved through the airfield, so there was no visibility between the aircraft and the control tower.Affiliates
- KLM
- KLM Asia
- KLM Cargo (loading transports)
- KLM Luchtvaartschool (aircraft school)
- KLM Cityhopper
KLM Cityhopper is the regional subsidiary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines – part of the Air France-KLM group. The airline, with its headquarters, the Convair building, on the grounds of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in Schiphol-Oost, Haarlemmermeer, operates short-range flights in Europe and its surroundings. It has regular flights to approximately forty-four (44) destinations, although this number may vary over the course of the year, and the airline can operate to those destinations that your parent company requests, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The identification of the airline is identical to that of its parent company with the addition of the “cityhopper” suffix following the KLM crown logo and the deletion of the titles “The Flying Dutchman” and “Royal Dutch Airlines” in the book of their aircraft. A new source of writing is going to be implemented in the latest modernization and marketing campaigns since 2008. The airline has five fully equipped operating bases, the legacy of the acquisition of Air UK and its subsequent merger in the KLM UK brand. Finally, hundreds of British flight cabin crews and passengers continue to operate KLM cityhopper flights from the UK and the Netherlands to the entire airline flight network. Like its parent company and despite the operation of small-size aircraft, KLM cityhopper offers two-class cabin services in most of its flights over fifty minutes of journey. KLM cityhopper operates a very successful feeding service structure to its hub in Amsterdam with regular flights, and with timetables adapted throughout Europe to enable connection with the intercontinental flights of its parent airline and other members of the Skyteam alliance.
The airline is part of the Air France-KLM group.KLM Asia
KLM Asia (Chinese: 荷蘭亞洲航空公司; pinyin: Hélán Yàzhōu Hángkōng Gōngsī) is a wholly owned subsidiary registered in Taiwan. The airline was established in 1995 to operate flights to Taipei without compromising KLM's traffic rights to destinations in the People's Republic of China.[91] The aircraft operated by the subsidiary receive several modifications in their livery. The flag of the Netherlands and Europe are removed, while KLM's stylized Dutch crown logo is replaced with the KLM Asia wordmark. The fleet of aircraft operated by the subsidiary consists of seven Boeing 777-200ER and two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft as of March 2020. KLM Asia initially operated the Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei route with Boeing 747-400 Combi and Boeing 747 aircraft. -400. Since March 2012, it has been operating the revised Amsterdam-Taipei-Manila route with Boeing 777-200ER/-300ER aircraft. KLM Asia aircraft are also occasionally used to service other destinations on the wider KLM network.
Destinations
KLM flies to 131 cities worldwide.
Fleet
Current Fleet
The KLM fleet consists of the following aircraft until February 2023:
| KLM Fleet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Seats | Notes | |||
| C | Y+ | And | Total | ||||
Airbus A330-203 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 31 | 182 | 243 | Media-long radio |
Airbus A330-303 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 50 | 205 | 290 | Media-long radio |
Boeing 737-7K2 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 12 | 90 | 122 | Short-average radio |
Boeing 737-8K2.jpg) | 31 | 0 | 20 | 24 | 120 | 164 | Short-average radio |
Boeing 737-9K2.jpg) | 5 | 0 | 28 | 18 | 132 | 178 | Short-average radio |
Boeing 777-206ER_-_KLM.jpg) | 15 | 0 | 35 | 34 | 251 | 320 | Ultra long radio |
Boeing 777-306ER | 16 | 0 | 35 | 40 | 350 | 425 | |
Boeing 787-9.jpg) | 13 | 0 | 36 | 45 | 195 | 276 | 2 in 2018, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2023, 2 in 2024 |
Boeing 787-10 | 8 | 2 | |||||
Boeing 747-406ERF | 3 | 0 | Operated by Martinair | ||||
| Total | 108 | 9 | 13.2 average fleet years (February 2023) | ||||
Historical Fleet
| Airplane | Total | Introduced | Withdrawal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A310-200 | 11 | 1983 | 1997 | |
| BAC 1-11-300 | 1 | 1968 | 1968 | |
Boeing 737-200.jpg) | 3 | 1987 | 1995 | |
Boeing 737-300_(5669754719).jpg) | 19 | 1986 | 2011 | |
Boeing 737-400_PH-BDT_-_MSN_24530_1772_-_Named_Gerrit_De_Veer_(5470364251).jpg) | 19 | 1989 | 2011 | |
Boeing 747-200.jpg) | 17 | 1971 | 2004 | |
Boeing 747-300.jpg) | 3 | 1991 | 2004 | |
Boeing 747-400 | 5 | 1989 | 2020 | Withdrawed by the current pandemic May 2020 |
Boeing 767-300.jpg) | 12 | 1995 | 2007 | |
Douglas DC-8-30 | 7 | 1960 | 1973 | |
Douglas DC-8-50 | 19 | 1961 | 1981 | |
Douglas DC-8-60 | 11 | 1967 | 1985 | |
Fokker 100 | 6 | 1992 | 1998 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | 12 | 1972 | 1995 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | 25 | 1966 | 1989 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 10 | 1993 | 2014 | Last commercial passenger operator. |
Shared Code
As of April 2009, KLM has codeshare with the following airlines:
Aer Lingus
Aircalin (Frequently Flying Blue)
Aeroflot
Airlines Argentinas
Aeromexico
Air Europa
Air France
Alaska Airlines
Avianca (Frequently Flying Blue)
Bangkok Airways (Only Frequent Flying Blue Traveler Program, only to redeem miles)
Bulgaria Air- CCM Airlines (Frequently Flying Blue)
China Southern Airlines
CityJet
Copa Airlines
Czech Airlines- Delta Air Lines
Gulf Air
ITA Airways
Japan Airlines (Frequently Flying Blue)
Kenya Airways
Korean Air
Malaysia Airlines
Middle East Airlines (Frequently Flying Blue)
Qantas (Only Frequent Flying Blue Traveler Program, redeem miles)
TAAG Angola Airlines (Frequently Flying Blue)
TAME
Gol Linhas Aircraft
TAROM- Twin Jet (Frequently Flying Blue)
Ukraine International Airlines
WestJet
Widerøe
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KLM offers business class and economy class on all its aircraft. On long-haul aircraft, a third class called "comfort economy class" is offered. On short-haul aircraft, Business Class is called Europe Select, while on long-haul business class aircraft it is called World Business Class.
Cabin
World Business Class
World Business Class offers a 60-inch field on all long-haul aircraft. All aircraft offer a 170 degree flat seat angle lie with a "10.4 TV monitor with AVOD (Audio Video on Demand), email and text messaging, a privacy canopy, built-in massage and power ports laptop. KLM's latest addition to the fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER features the same Business Class seating as Air France's merger partner. All WBC seats offer personal reading lamps, leg/foot rests and personal telephones (at the back of the driver) Pre-departure facilities include a fully flexible booking (except WBC holiday rates which may have restrictions), check-in counters, access to VIP lounges, priority boarding and 125% to 175% blue flight miles. On board, passengers received a three-course meal, complete with menus, pre-departure drinks and snacks, which are available throughout the flight. Europe Select Europe Select, is KLM's premium product in the shortest sectors, it is offered on flights operated by Boeing 737 equipment. It offers a 33-inch field, an inflight meal service (hot or cold meals will depend on the length of the flight), priority boarding, excess baggage, double blue flight miles and flexible booking in its entirety.
Economy Class
In brief European on KLM and KLM Cityhopper flights, the aircraft do not have in-flight entertainment and contain a 31" seat. Passengers flying Economy Class long-haul routes outside of Europe receive a hot meal service (often more of a function of the duration of the flight), with real metal cutlery. Passengers flying within Europe in KLM Economy Class will receive a snack to suit the time of day. Freshly prepared morning flight day snacks are served on most flights. Drinks (including alcohol) are free from KLM for all passengers, with the exception of champagne.
In 2010, KLM refreshes the interior of its 747 fleet. This update also includes PTV in Economy Class with a private screen for each seat and in-flight information. Since May 11, 2010, a total of ten 747s have been updated and refurbished (Full Pax 747 PH-BFA, PH-BFB, PH-BFG, PH-BFL, PH-BFN. 747 Combi: PH-BFK, PH - BFP, PH-BFS, PH-BFT and BFV PH-). KLM 747-400s and 777-300ER economy seats are ten abreast (3-4-3), the 777-200ER and MD-11 are abreast of nine (3-3-3), while the A330 They are eight deep (two -4-2).
Comfort Class Economy
Economy Comfort Class is offered only on intercontinental flights. Provides a greater distance between seats, up to 35" and a greater incline, up to 7', than regular economy seats, but the same and service in-flight baggage allowance apply on file. There is no priority boarding, but since the Economy comfort zone is located at the front of the aircraft, KLM advertises fast disembarkation as an Economy Comfort Class advantage. It can be booked by any passenger in possession of any economy class ticket, otherwise a fee may apply.