KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
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- "KLM" redirects here. KLM can also refer to KLM (Human Computer Interaction)
KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its merger with Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands.
Air France-KLM is France and the Netherlands' main air carrier. Its KLM subsidiary operates from the airline hub of Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam, where the subsidiary company has its headquarters.
Air France took over KLM in May 2004, resulting in the creation of Air France-KLM. Air France-KLM is incorporated under French law and its headquarters are located at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris. Air France-KLM is the largest airline company in the world in terms of operating revenues, and the third-largest in the world (largest in Europe) in terms of revenue-passenger-kilometers (RPKs). In 2004, KLM transported 6 million passengers. [link]
Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam Alliance with Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Korean Air, Czech Airlines, Alitalia, Northwest Airlines, Aeroflot and Continental Airlines. Both Air France and KLM continue to fly under their distinct brand names.
History
KLM was founded on October 7, 1919, making it the oldest carrier in the world still operating under its current name. The first KLM flight was on May 17, 1920, with a flight from London to Amsterdam carrying two English journalists and a number of newspapers. This first flight was carried out by an Airco de Havilland DH16, callsign EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In 1921 KLM started regularly scheduled services, by 1926 offering flights to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Bremen, Copenhagen, and Malmo; using primarily Fokker F2 & F3. Intercontinental service to Indonesia started in 1929 using Fokker F7-B, although the first non-scheduled KLM flight had been made in 1924 by Fokker F7 Callsign NACC piloted by van der Hoop.
Corporate organization
KLM is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, New York and Paris.Subsidiaries:
- KLM Cityhopper (formerly: NLM)
- KLM Cargo
- KLM Asia - For political reasons, flights into Taipei, Taiwan are operated by KLM Asia to avoid flying into Republic of China (Taiwan) and People's Republic of China (China) under the same name. The livery of KLM Asia does not have the crown logo on the tail and fuselage.
- KLM Flight Academy
- 100% share in Transavia Airlines
- 50% share in Martinair
- 26% share in Kenya Airways ,
Merger
On 30 September 2003, Air France and KLM announced that they would in future be known as Air France-KLM. This entity was first offered on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange on 5 May 2004. The takeover of KLM by Air France marked the end of the oldest independent airline in the world. The Royal adjective will likely remain for the foreseeable future. Its independent identity is guaranteed to 2008, but eventually it is anticipated that its operations will be merged into those of the French company. In the meantime, it does not appear that KLM's longstanding joint venture with Northwest Airlines will be affected. Both KLM and Northwest joined the SkyTeam Alliance in September 2004.Presidents - CEOs
- Albert Plesman (1919 - 1953)
- Fons Aler (1953 - 1961)
- Ernst van der Beugel (1961-1963)
- Horatius Albarda (1963 - 1965)
- Gerrit van der Wal (1965 - 1973)
- Sergio Orlandini (1973-1987)
- Jan de Soet (1987 - 1991)
- Pieter Bouw (1991 - 1997)
- L. M. van Wijk (1997 - present)
Incidents and accidents
During The Black Week, the 4-engined aircraft "Kwikstaart" crashed and burned just outside Schiphol on 14 July 1935, killing four crew and two passengers - 14 other occupants survived; on 17 July 1935 the DC-2(?) "Maraboe" crashed outside Bushehr, Iran - all survived; on 20 July the "Gaai" crashed in an Alpine pass, killing all three crew and all ten passengers. (Dutch) Albert Heijn, ed KL-50 - logboek van vijftig jaar vliegen. Meijer, Amsterdam. 1969A KLM Douglas Dakota crashed after takeoff from Copenhagen on January 26, 1947, killing all 22 onboard, including Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden.
A KLM Lockheed Constellation Nijmegen crashed near Prestwick, Scotland on 20 October 1948, killing all 34 aboard. (see KLM Constellation air disaster)
On September 5, 1954, flight 633, a KLM Lockheed Super Constellation, ditched in the River Shannon after takeoff from Shannon airport, Ireland. 28 out of 56 people on board (46 passengers and 10 crew) were killed. (see KLM Flight 633)
On March 27, 1977, KLM Flight 4805 & Pan Am Flight 1736 collided at Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 583 people (see Tenerife disaster).
KLM Delft Blue houses
Each type of house is numbered. There are 86 different types. All are reproductions of actual houses, which are listed in a documentation available from KLM. These small porcelain houses are now famous collectibles.
Destinations
Fleet
The KLM fleet consists of the following aircraft (in May 2006):
- 04 Airbus A330-200 (+ 4 orders)
- 14 Boeing 737-300
- 13 Boeing 737-400
- 15 Boeing 737-800 (+ potentially an additional 13 on order, 1 to be delivered in 2007)
- 05 Boeing 737-900 (+ potentially an additional 15 on order)
- 22 Boeing 747-400 (5 full pax, 17 combi)
- 03 Boeing 747-400ERF (full freighter, + 1 on order)
- 05 Boeing 767-300ER (being phased out, replaced by Airbus A330's)
- 13 Boeing 777-200ER (+ 1 on order)
- 04 Boeing 777-300ER (on order, number not specified, rumoured to be 4)
- 10 McDonnell Douglas MD-11
The orders for the Airbus A330-200, as well as the Boeing 777-200ER will be replacements for the 767 and MD-11 aircraft, but KLM is also looking into adding the Boeing 787 or the Airbus A350. KLM has expressed little to no interest towards the Airbus A380.
The average age of the KLM fleet is 9.9 years in April 2006.
See also
References
External links
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