KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - Details and Fleet History

KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands until its merger with Air France in 2004. The SkyTeam member owns a fleet of more than 160 aircraft and reaches almost 200 destinations all over the world. Air France-KLM is the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenues.

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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded on October 7, 1919, making it the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. The first KLM flight took place on May 17, 1920, on the route Amsterdam – London in a De Havilland DH-16. It carried two English journalists and some newspapers.

From 1921 KLM operated regular scheduled services. The longest one was Amsterdam – Batavia (Indonesia) from 1929. It was the world’s longest regular air link before WWII.

KLM’s first transatlantic route followed in 1934, connecting Amsterdam with Curaçao.

During WWII, KLM tried to continue its services. Many KLM planes were taken by the Germans and given either to the Luftwaffe or Lufthansa. The remaining KLM fleet operated infrequently in Dutch India, the Caribbean and between England and Gibraltar. Normal service was resumed in September 1945, initially only on domestic routes.

In May 1946 launched a scheduled service from Amsterdam to New York, in 1958 routes to Japan followed.

In 1960 the jet age began for KLM when the DC-8 was introduced.

In 1966 the subsidiary NLM was founded. One year later Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was used by KLM for the first time. Today it is the airline’s main hub.

The era of wide-body aircraft began in 1971 when KLM introduced its first 747-100. The first 747-400 came into use 18 years later.

In 1988 KLM purchased NetherLines and in July 1989 they acquired 20% of Northwest Airlines, both securing KLM’s position as a global airline and strengthening the cooperation between the two airlines.

On April 1, 1991, KLM merged NLM and NetherLines, creating KLM cityhopper. In the same year a takeover of Transavia by KLM took place. Also in 1991 the company eliminated the first class on its DC-10 flights to the Caribbean. Efficiency was increased enormously, so KLM did the same on all its routes. Until today it is one of the few international carriers only offering two classes on long-haul flights.

In 1993 KLM managed transporting more than one million passengers in one year for the first time. Five years later the KLM-Northwest Airlines alliance was honoured with the Air Transport World magazine's “Airline of the Year Award”.

The Boeing 767-300ER went into service in 1995. By 2007 they had been taken out of service again.

As so many airlines KLM suffered from the decreased demand for air travel in the wake of 9/11. Cost-reducing measures were introduced.

KLM introduced Boeing 777-200ERs and Airbus A300-200s for their long distance routes in 2003 respectively 2005.

On May 5, 2004, Air France and KLM officially merged, forming the Air France-KLM group. Air France was the main shareholder (81%). Until 2008 both airlines will continue to fly with their own identity. After that the world’s oldest independent airline in the world will probably be integrated into the French fleet and thus cease to exist. As a consequence of the fusion both KLM and its partner Northwest Airlines joined the SkyTeam alliance, of which Air France is a founding member, in September 2004.

In 2007 KLM including KLM cityhopper owned a fleet of around 160 aircraft with an average age of 9.9 years.

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