KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines NV | |
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IATA code : | KL |
ICAO code : | KLM |
Call sign : | KLM |
Founding: | October 7, 1919 |
Seat: |
Amstelveen , Netherlands![]() |
Turnstile : | |
Home airport : | Amsterdam Schiphol Airport |
Company form: | NV |
IATA prefix code : | 074 |
Management: | Pieter Elbers |
Number of employees: | 31,876 |
Sales: | € 9.8 billion (2016) |
Passenger volume: | 32.7 million (2017) |
Alliance : | SkyTeam |
Frequent Flyer Program : | Flying Blue |
Fleet size: | 112 (+ 12 orders) |
Aims: | international |
Website: | www.klm.com |
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ( Dutch Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij , KLM for short ; German "Royal Airline " ) is the national airline of the Netherlands and the oldest still existing airline in the world. The airline, based in Amstelveen and based at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is a member of the SkyTeam aviation alliance and forms the umbrella company Air France-KLM with Air France .
history
Foundation and first years
The Royal Dutch Aviation Commission, formed in 1918, dealt with the possibilities of using air transport after the end of the First World War . The pilot and businessman Albert Plesman submitted to this commission the proposal for an aviation exhibition, which was organized in 1918 under the name ELTA (Eerste Luchtverkeer Tentoonstelling Amsterdam, in German: First Air Transport Exhibition Amsterdam). Inspired by the exhibition, the Aviation Commission came up with the idea of creating a national airline.
KLM was founded on October 7, 1919. Albert Plesman, who is considered one of the fathers of KLM and thus also of Dutch aviation, was elected as chairman. The second “father” was the aircraft manufacturer Anthony Fokker , who provided the technical know-how and designed tailor-made aircraft for KLM. The capital was provided by various Dutch business people. When it was founded, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands also gave the society the title “koninklijk”. This makes KLM the oldest airline in the world still in existence.
On May 17, 1920 the first flight with an Airco DH16 took place. It ran from London to Amsterdam and had two British journalists as passengers and some English newspapers as cargo on board. Initially, the company did not have its own aircraft, these were provided by the British company Aircraft Transport & Travel . However, the company soon got its own machines, which came from Fokker .
As a state airline , KLM was given the task of building up air traffic to the colony of the Dutch East Indies , today's Indonesia . The first flights from Amsterdam to Batavia (now Jakarta ) began in 1927 . From 1930 the flights were regularly carried out as a scheduled service and so the connection Amsterdam-Batavia became the longest flight connection in the world at the time.
Orders from Douglas

In 1934, KLM caused a stir in many ways. For the first time, the company decided against a Fokker product and, to the annoyance of the co-founder, ordered the Douglas DC-2 . Although these aircraft were assembled by Fokker, Fokker left the company a short time later. KLM was the European launch customer for both the DC-2 and the successor DC-3 . This marked the beginning of a decades-long business relationship between KLM and the Californian manufacturer. KLM became the only company that operated all aircraft from the DC series (except the DC-1, which was only built as a prototype ) from the DC-2 to the MD-11 , even the DC-5 , which was only built in a few copies .
The DC-2 proved to be very popular and quickly replaced the Fokker machines on the Batavia route. In October 1934, KLM took part in one of these aircraft in the MacRobertson air race between Mildenhall, England, and Melbourne , Australia . Under the command of Koene Dirk Parmentier , the DC-2 with the baptismal name “Uiver” (old Dutch for stork ) won the handicap and second place in the speed classification. In addition, the company took up flights across the Atlantic to Curaçao and Paramaribo with a Fokker XVIII .
KLM in World War II

The Netherlands tried to remain neutral after the start of World War II in September 1939. The KLM aircraft were painted a bright orange for better recognition. After the invasion of the Netherlands by the Wehrmacht in May 1940, KLM introduced the traffic from Amsterdam-Schiphol one; few machines could still be transferred to England. KLM continued its flights in the Dutch East Indies and the Caribbean and was commissioned by the British government to maintain connections from Bristol in England to Lisbon and Gibraltar during the war years .
Many aircraft, including some Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 , were captured by the Wehrmacht and supplied to both the Luftwaffe and Lufthansa . A KLM DC-2 was even one of the last aircraft operated by pre-war Lufthansa and remained in service in Scandinavia until the last day of the war .
post war period
After the war the Dutch government made an amount of 23 million guilders available for the purchase of a new fleet. The backbone for intra-European traffic was again the DC-3. For the long-haul routes, former DC-4 / C-54 military transporters were converted for civilian use. On May 21, 1946, KLM became the first airline to return to New York from mainland Europe. In 1947, Lockheed Constellation aircraft were purchased, with KLM once again appearing as a European launch customer. Nevertheless, she also ordered the Douglas DC-6 and DC-7 again . In 1955, KLM acquired a 49 percent stake in Air Ceylon , which subsequently leased Constellation and Lockheed L-188 Electra from KLM . The first jet aircraft followed in 1960 , a Douglas DC-8 . In the 1960s, the DC-9 displaced piston engine machines even on short journeys.
Use of wide-bodied aircraft from 1970
The age of widebody aircraft was heralded in 1971 with the first Boeing 747 . This time, KLM was even the global launch customer for the improved version 747-200B. This aircraft was also supplemented by a product from McDonnell Douglas , with KLM becoming the first customer for the passenger version of the long-haul aircraft DC-10-30 . Partnerships with other operators of the DC-10 and the 747 have been established for the maintenance of the new wide-body aircraft and the training of personnel for these machines. This resulted in the KSSU Group , consisting of KLM, SAS , Swissair and the French UTA . With the arrival of the DC-10 in 1972, a new color scheme was introduced, which, with a slight revision in 2004, still adorns KLM aircraft today.
During this time, KLM also provided a lot of development aid . The company helped establish the international airlines of Indonesia ( Garuda Indonesia ), the Philippines ( Philippine Airlines ) and Venezuela ( VIASA ). The backbone of the long-haul fleet of these airlines was initially leased DC-8 and DC-10 from KLM.
1980s and 1990s
In 1988 KLM signed an agreement with Northwest Airlines , which is the longest existing transatlantic aviation alliance. For several years KLM was also involved in Northwest Airlines. Shortly thereafter, the company became the first customer for the Combi version of the new Boeing 747-400, after partner Northwest appeared as the first customer for the passenger version.
In 1991, due to a lack of demand, KLM removed First Class on the DC-10 machines that served the routes between Amsterdam and the Caribbean. An increase in efficiency on these routes later led to First Class being removed from all KLM flights. KLM was thus one of the few international airlines that only offered two classes of transport on their flights.
A short-term partnership with Alitalia in 1998 ended two years later with a lawsuit and a counterclaim, with KLM being obliged to pay the Italian state-owned airline € 150 million in 2002 . Today both airlines are partners within the SkyTeam again .
For the time being, the last time, KLM became the European launch customer of the Boeing 737-900 .
Development since 2000

In May 2004 Air France took over KLM via a share swap. After the merger to form Air France-KLM in June 2004, both airlines operated independently of one another under the umbrella of a joint holding company until 2008 . The merger was only approved subject to conditions. The companies had to give up various slots at their home airports Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam and reduce the frequencies on some routes. Although the new company is dominated by Air France, KLM is still allowed to use the title "koninklijk" (royal). This dominance of Air France, which holds 81% of the shares in the new holding company, has long been a topic of discussion in the Netherlands. Together, Air France-KLM is the fourth largest airline in the world in terms of passenger kilometers and the second largest in Europe. In 2007, Air France-KLM took first place worldwide in terms of turnover . On December 8, 2004, the French government decided to reduce its equity stake from the current 44.1 percent to 18.35 percent.
As part of the merger KLM occurred just as the long-time US partner Northwest Airlines in September 2004, the airline alliance SkyTeam with. This also brought in partnerships with other airlines, including Continental Airlines , which in summer 2008 decided to work closely with United Airlines and to switch to the Star Alliance . Further partnerships exist with Kenya Airways (Kenya), Martinair and Transavia (both Netherlands). KLM holds shares in the last three companies and, in the case of Transavia (100%), is even the majority owner. KLM also had a partnership with Air Exel , which was now called KLM Exel.
On October 25, 2014, KLM was the last operator in the world to retire the passenger version of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on a flight from Montréal to Amsterdam . After that, an MD-11 was used as a hotel at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in a short advertising campaign .
The first Boeing 787-9 was delivered to KLM on November 14, 2015 . It is part of an Air France-KLM order , which also includes 787-10.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated flight restrictions, all Boeing 747-400s were finally decommissioned at KLM in March 2020.
The airline KLM receives a support package of 3.4 billion euros from the Dutch government. This consists of a loan of one billion and 2.4 billion euros guarantees for bank loans. The government is demanding that the airline cut its costs by 15%, become more sustainable and reduce night flights. This package aims to secure the employment of 30,000 people. The EU Commission has yet to approve the rescue package.
Destinations
KLM operates flights from Amsterdam to destinations in Africa , Asia , Europe , North , Central and South America, and the Middle East .
In Germany there are flights to Nuremberg , Berlin-Tegel , Stuttgart , Dresden , Dusseldorf , Frankfurt am Main , Hamburg , Munich , Hanover , Bremen , in Austria Vienna and Graz and in Switzerland Zurich , Geneva and Basel-Mulhouse .
fleet
Current fleet
As of March 2020, the KLM fleet consists of 122 aircraft with an average age of 11.3 years:
Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats ( Business / Eco + / Eco ) |
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Airbus A330-200 | 8th | Retirement planned by 2025 at the latest | 243 (30/35/178) 243 (18/36/189) |
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Airbus A330-300 | 5 | 292 (30/40/222) | ||
Boeing 737-700 | 16 | equipped with winglets ; First delivery in 2008, start of decommissioning in the first quarter of 2019, replacement by Boeing 737-800 | 142 (20/6/116) | |
Boeing 737-800 | 31 | with winglets fitted | 180 (20/6/154) | |
Boeing 737-900 | 5 | 189 (28/18/143) | ||
Boeing 747-400M | 2 | Combi version; still in use until after summer 2020 | 268 (35/36/197) | |
Boeing 777-200ER | 15th | 7 operated under the KLM Asia brand | 318 (34/40/244) | |
Boeing 777-300ER | 14th | 2 | 2 operated under the KLM Asia brand | 408 (34/40/334) |
Boeing 787-9 | 13 | 7th | Order of Air France-KLM | 294 (30/48/216) |
Boeing 787-10 | 5 | 3 | 344 (38/27/279) | |
total | 112 | 12 |
Former aircraft types
The following types of aircraft were used in the past:
Aircraft type | number | introduction | Retirement | Remarks |
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Airbus A310-200 | 10 | 1983 | 1997 | Deliveries from 1983 to 1985; replaced by Boeing 767 |
Airco DH16 | x | 1920 | first type of aircraft started operations with the KLM on May 17, 1920 | |
BAC 1-11-300 | 1 | 1968 | 1968 | leased from British Eagle International Airlines |
Boeing 737-200 | 4th | 1987 | 1995 | leased from Transavia ; partly operated in KLM colors |
Boeing 737-300 | 19th | 1986 | 2004 | replaced the DC-9-30, temporarily rented by Transavia |
Boeing 737-400 | 19th | 1989 | 2001 | temporary rental of other companies |
Boeing 747-200 | x | 1971 | 1989/2003 | from 1984 partial conversion to 747-200 SUD , this operated until 2003 |
Boeing 747-300 | 3 | 1983 | 2003 | |
Boeing 747-400 | 2 | 1989 | 2020 | |
Boeing 747-400ERF | 3 | 1989 | 2020 | KLM Cargo cargo planes |
Boeing 767-300 | 12 | 1995 | 2006 | Replacement by A330 |
Convair CV-240 | 12 | 1948 | 1957 | |
Convair CV-340 | 7th | 1953 | 1964 | |
Convair CV-880 | 1 | 1963 | 1964 | leased from VIASA , only one side of the hull painted in KLM colors |
De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide | 5 | |||
Douglas DC-2 | 19th | 1934 | 1940 | remaining aircraft confiscated by the German Air Force in 1940 |
Douglas DC-3 | 51 | 1936 | 1955 | many confiscated by the German Air Force in 1940; a subsequently acquired DC-3 used from 1972 for survey flights in Suriname |
Douglas DC-4 | 27 | 1946 | 1959 | |
Douglas DC-5 | 4th | 1939 | 1942 | Only civil operator worldwide, used to evacuate Java , two remaining ceded to USAAF in 1942 |
Douglas DC-6 (B) | 18th | 1948 | 1960 | |
Douglas DC-7 | 15th | 1956 | 1969 | Delivery by December 1958, last operated as cargo aircraft , last KLM aircraft powered by piston engines from March 1963 Delivery of three aircraft to Südflug |
Douglas DC-8-33 | 7th | 1960 | 1973 | last DC-8-33 assigned to VIASA in March 1973 |
Douglas DC-8-50 | 18th | 1961 | 1979 | Divestment of most of the DC-8-50s in the 1970s, last DC-8-55 leased to Surinam Airways in December 1979 and then sold to them |
Douglas DC-8-63 | 11 | 1967 | 1985 | last machines taken over by Icelandair and Eagle Air of Iceland |
Douglas DC-9-10 | 6th | 1966 | 1989 | Most DC-9-10s were retired as early as the 1970s, one operated until 1989 |
Douglas DC-9-30 | 19th | 1967 | 1989 | last aircraft sold to Evergreen International Airlines in early 1989 |
Fokker F.VIII | 7th | 1927 | 1939 | |
Fokker F.XVIII | 5 | 1932 | 1939 | |
Fokker F-27 | 4th | 1960 | 1972 | first two F-27s acquired in 1960, further leased in the same year; operated again from 1967; 1972 NLM Cityhopper ceded |
Fokker 100 | 6th | 1989 | 1992 | |
Ilyushin Il-62 | 8th | 1971 | 1972 | leased from Aeroflot |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | 12 | 1972 | 1996 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 10 | 1994 | 2014 | the world's last operator of the passenger MD-11; Adoption of the last three on October 26, 2014, last passenger flight on November 11, 2014 ( PH-KCD, flight number KL9899) |
Lockheed 14 Super Electra | 1 | 1938 | 1938 | had an accident on December 9, 1938 on a training flight |
Lockheed L-049 Constellation | 6th | 1946 | 1950 | |
Lockheed L-188 Electra | 12 | |||
Lockheed L-749 Constellation | 20th | 1947 | ||
Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | 22nd | 1953 | ||
Pilatus PC-6 | 2 | 1968 | 1984 | used to take aerial photographs |
Vickers Viscount | 9 | 1957 | 1967 | Delivery from June 1957, one each in July and August, three in October, two in November, one in December. |
Logo, color scheme and aircraft name
The KLM logo is a stylized, light blue crown with KLM lettering in light blue on a white background. It was designed by Frederick Henry Kay Henrion in 1961 and modified by Chris Ludlow ( Henrion Ludlow Schmidt ) in 1991 . The logo on the front fuselage is white on a light blue background.
The top of KLM aircraft has been light blue ( Pantone 299) since the early 1970s , and underneath there is a vertical stripe in dark blue (Pantone 541), which has been made narrower since 2002. The underside of the aircraft is light gray (Pantone Cool Gray 3), the tail unit is white with a light blue logo.
At the end of 2014 the color division was changed again. The colors and the company logo remain the same, now the blue area in the front part of the aircraft is drawn down in a wave-like manner in order to better adapt to the shape of the aircraft's nose. The lettering “Royal Dutch Airlines” is now written in white next to the KLM emblem on the fuselage.
KLM assigns the aircraft names as follows: The Airbus A330 are assigned to cities that are known around the world, Boeing 737s are named after bird species , Boeing 747 after capital cities , Boeing 777 after world cultural heritage and Boeing 787 after flowers . The first 787-9, for example, was named "Zonnebloem" (sunflower).
Special paints
KLM operates some of its machines with special paintwork. The following is an illustrated overview of the current special paintings:
Aircraft type | Aircraft registration | Painting | image |
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Boeing 737-800 | PH-BXA | " Retro (90 Years Anniversary) " |
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Boeing 737-900 | PH-BXO | " SkyTeam " |
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Boeing 777-300ER | PH-BVD |
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PH-BVA | " Orange Pride " |
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subsidiary company
- KLM Cargo: KLM Cargo operated four Boeing 747-400ERFs as full freighters , which have meanwhile been leased to the subsidiary Martinair , which has since taken over operations in its own name. This airline is also based in Amsterdam .
- KLM Cityhopper : regional airline, operates European regional and feeder flights in the name and branding of KLM.
- Martinair : Cargo airline , operates cargo flights and also operated long-haul flights to holiday destinations until the end of 2011.
- Transavia : low-cost airline , mainly operates flights to European cities and holiday destinations.
Former companies
- KLM Asia: Due to a law of the People's Republic of China , which did not allow airlines flying to Taiwan to also fly to the People's Republic of China, KLM was forced to set up its own company for the Taiwan routes. For this purpose, KLM Asia was founded in 1995 , which initially operated five Boeing 747-400Ms with the additional asia logo but without the stylized KLM crown and national flags. Later on, the KLM Asia fleet also included Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft . Similar companies were also founded by other European companies. KLM Asia flew under the 2-letter code "KL" from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and has since been disbanded - but the planes continue to fly in the paint scheme described.
- KLM Alps: The Swiss Air Engiadina founded the KLM franchise company KLM Alps in 1998 . Among other things, KLM Alps maintained flight connections between Friedrichshafen and Vienna . Since 2001 KLM Alps has been operating independently again under the name Air Alps .
Incidents
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines recorded a total of 45 total losses of aircraft in its history up to March 2020. In 28 of them, 843 people were killed. Examples:
- On December 20, 1934, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Douglas DC-2 ( aircraft registration PH-AJU ) taking off from Cairo-Almaza airport crashed on its onward flight to Baghdad . In the vicinity of Rutbah Wells in Iraq , the plane got caught in a storm with heavy rain, sank further and further until it hit the ground and exploded. All 7 occupants, including 4 crew members and 3 passengers, were killed. The machine was en route with numerous stopovers on the flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (Dutch East Indies) (today Jakarta) (see also the KLM Douglas DC-2 "Uiver" plane crash ) .
- On November 6, 1946, a KLM Douglas DC-3 (PH-TBO) coming from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol flew into trees and broke while approaching Croydon Airport (England). The causes were an incorrect altimeter setting and inadequate flight preparation. All 15 passengers and 5 crew members survived this controlled flight into terrain .
- On November 14, 1946, a KLM Douglas DC-3 (PH-TBW ) coming from Croydon Airport (England) crashed in difficult weather conditions during the third attempt to land at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and exploded. All 21 passengers and 5 crew members were killed.
- On January 26, 1947, a KLM Douglas DC-3 (PH-TCR) had an accident shortly after taking off from Copenhagen-Kastrup on its onward flight to Stockholm . The machine reared up steeply and crashed. All 22 inmates, including Gustav Adolf Hereditary Prince of Sweden , were killed in the crash. The cause was the failure to remove the elevator lock and check the controls before take-off (see also the Kastrup aircraft disaster ) .
- On the evening of October 20, 1948, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation (PH-TEN) piloted by KLM chief pilot Dirk Parmentier was flown in high-voltage lines five kilometers east of the airport during the approach to Prestwick Airport (Scotland). This killed all 40 people on board.
- On June 23, 1949, the Lockheed L-749 Constellation ( PH-TER , "Roermond") crashed on the flight from Cairo to Amsterdam near Bari in the Mediterranean . All 33 people on board lost their lives (see “Roermond” accident ) .
- On July 12, 1949, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation (PH-TDF) was approaching Bombay Airport in a hill five kilometers east of the airport. All 45 people on board were killed.
- On February 2, 1950, a Douglas DC-3 (PH-TEU) crashed into the sea 65 km off the Dutch coast. She was on a cargo flight from Amsterdam to London Heathrow . All seven crew members were killed.
- On March 22, 1952, a Douglas DC-6 (PH-TPJ) crashed on KLM flight 592 while approaching Frankfurt am Main airport . 45 of the 47 occupants died in the accident.
- On March 23, 1952, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation (PH-TFF) was destroyed in a crash landing with an engine fire at Don Mueang Airport . All 44 people on board survived.
- On May 25, 1953, the captain of a Convair CV-240 (PH-TEI) broke off take-off from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol after having reached a height of almost 20 m. The plane sped through the airport fence across a road into a field. Two girls were killed in the street.
- On August 23, 1954, a Douglas DC-6 B (PH-DFO) crashed into the North Sea on KLM Flight 608 off the Dutch coast . All 21 inmates were killed.
- On September 5, 1954, a KLM Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation (PH-LKY) crashed on its flight from Shannon to New York-Idlewild Airport . The machine hit the mud of the River Shannon at takeoff 31 seconds after flying over the end of the runway . In the accident, 28 of the 56 occupants were killed, 3 crew members and 25 passengers. The rescue work was only initiated after the navigator had fought his way through the river delta to the airport. Reasons were premature retraction of the landing flaps and premature reduction in engine power as well as a warning light that had been defective for a long time for the retraction status of the landing gear (see also KLM flight 633 ) .
- On July 16, 1957, a Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation (PH-LKT) crashed into the sea on KLM Flight 844 about one kilometer from the island of Biak . 58 of the 68 occupants were killed in the accident. The cause of the crash remained unresolved.
- On February 19, 1958, a crew member was fatally injured in the crash landing of a KLM Douglas DC-6 B (PH-DFK) at Cairo-Almaza airport (see also KLM flight 543 ) .
- On August 14, 1958, a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation operated by KLM (PH-LKM) crashed into the Atlantic about 200 km west of Ireland for reasons unknown. The machine was on the flight from Shannon to Gander , Newfoundland . All 99 people on board died (see also KLM flight 607-E ) .
- On May 30, 1961, a Douglas DC-8-53 (PH-DCL) crashed five minutes after taking off from Lisbon Airport for unknown reasons. She was on a flight on behalf of VIASA . All 61 inmates were killed.
- On June 12, 1961, a Lockheed L-188C Electra (PH-LLM) coming from Rome flew four kilometers from the runway into a hill that is only 60 meters higher than the airport while approaching Cairo International Airport. The machine was on its way to Karachi and Kuala Lumpur. 20 of the 36 inmates were killed.
- In the plane disaster in Tenerife on March 27, 1977, a total of 583 occupants (including all 235 occupants of the KLM machine) were killed. On the runway at Los Rodeos Airport, a KLM Boeing 747-200B (PH-BUF) collided in thick fog with a Pan Am 747-100 (N736PA) . This incident is still considered to be the worst aircraft accident in the history of civil aviation .
- On December 15, 1989, a Boeing 747-400 (PH-BFC) was on KLM Flight 867 from Amsterdam to Anchorage when all four engines failed after entering a cloud of volcanic ash from Mount Redoubt . After the successful restart, a safe landing in Anchorage was achieved.
- On April 4, 1994 crashed a Saab 340B (PH-KSH) of KLM Cityhopper , which carried out a flight under a flight number of KLM, the go-around on the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport from. The machine was on its way from Amsterdam to Cardiff when a control lamp for the engine oil pressure came on due to a short circuit. Even before the first officer consulted the checklist, the master brought the right engine to idle. After going through the checklist, it was decided to continue the flight, but the captain forgot to restart the shutdown engine. At an altitude of 17,000 feet, the machine's performance limit was reached and it stopped climbing. Since they suspected a defect, the pilots returned to Amsterdam. As the captain to a go- decided the machine rolled directly in front of the runway to the right and crashed. Three people were killed; 9 inmates were injured. The reason was the misconduct of the pilots who did not bring the propeller of the supposedly damaged engine into the sail position (see also KLM flight 433 ) .
- On November 28, 2004 a Boeing 737-400 (PH-BTC) had an accident while landing at Barcelona-El Prat Airport . The machine from Amsterdam came off the runway and was irreparably damaged, no passengers were injured on board. The cause was a bird strike during take-off in Amsterdam, whereby the nose wheel steering was damaged and the aircraft could no longer be steered on landing.
Trivia
- A former KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11 has been converted into a holiday home. This was raffled off as part of a marketing cooperation.
- The Dutch King Willem-Alexander flies regularly as co-pilot at KLM. He is currently flying with a Fokker 70 at KLM Cityhopper , due to the retirement of those he is retraining on the Boeing 737 .
See also
literature
- Bram Bouwens, Frido Ogier: Welcome aboard! Een eeuw KLM. Zwolle: WBOOKS, 2019, ISBN 978-94-625-8321-4
- Marc LJ Dierikx: Blauw in de lucht. Koninklijke Luchtvaart-Maatschappij, 1919-1999. The Hague: Sdu-Uitg., 1999, ISBN 90-12-08750-3
- Rainer W. During: KLM for 100 years. In: Fliegerrevue . No. 11/2019, pp. 42-48.
- Marga Knop: KLM in beeld. 75 years prior to promotion. Naarden: V + K Publ., 1994, ISBN 90-6611-423-1
- Bruce Hales-Dutton: Anniversary Special: KLM at 100. In: Airliner World. No. 10/2019, pp. 84-96.
- Astrid Röben: 100 years of KLM. In: AERO International . No. 10/2019, pp. 74-78.
- Ron Wunderink: Met KLM de wereld rond. Een eeuw Flying Dutchman. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Balans, 2019, ISBN 978-94-6003-947-8
Web links

- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines website (including Dutch, English, German)
- Early documents and newspaper articles on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Publications. In: klm.com, accessed on June 20, 2017 (English).
- ↑ KLM First European Carrier To Fly Boeing Next-Generation 737-900. In: boeing.mediaroom.com, Boeing , June 29, 2001, accessed June 20, 2017.
-
↑ Top 10: The ten airlines with the highest turnover. In: aerosecure.de, August 2007, accessed on April 20, 2020 (list will no longer be generated upon request). -
Christian Scherbel: Top 10 - The largest airlines in the world. In: aerosecure.de, July 23, 2007, accessed on April 20, 2020. - ↑ KLM sets final date for MD-11 operations. In: ch-aviation . October 14, 2014, accessed April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Stefan Eiselin: MD-11 becomes a loft hotel. In: aerotelegraph, accessed December 10, 2014.
- ↑ Boeing, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Celebrate Delivery of Airline's First 787 Dreamliner. In: boeing.mediaroom.com, November 14, 2015, accessed June 20, 2017.
- ↑ Jumbo jets: Corona crisis brings Boeing 747 to an early end at KLM. In: aeroTELEGRAPH. March 16, 2020, accessed on March 30, 2020 (Swiss Standard German).
- ↑ Air transport: The Netherlands are supporting KLM with 3.4 billion euros. Retrieved June 26, 2020 .
- ↑ travel guide. In: klm.com, accessed June 20, 2017.
- ↑ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Orders & deliveries. In: Airbus . accessed on June 20, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Orders & Deliveries. In: Boeing , accessed June 20, 2017.
- ↑ seating plans. In: klm.com, accessed June 20, 2017.
- ↑ Airbus A330 has no future at KLM. In: aero.de. November 6, 2019, accessed November 9, 2019 .
- ^ First Boeing 737-700 leaves the KLM fleet. In: airlinerwatch.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019 .
- ↑ Flight International, June 16, 2020 (English), pp. 25 + 26.
- ^ Boeing, KLM Announce Order for Two 777 Jets. In: boeing.mediaroom.com. September 2, 2019, accessed November 9, 2019 .
- ↑ KLM has its first Boeing 787-9. In: aero.de, November 14, 2015, accessed on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ airfleets.net - KLM , accessed on June 20, 2017 (English; with captcha).
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. In: rzjets.net, accessed on June 20, 2017 (English).
- ↑ a b Marcopolo secures remaining stake in Volgren. In: austrianaviation.net. July 24, 2020, accessed July 24, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c d e Flashback Friday: 95 Years of KLM ( Memento from January 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). In: airwaysnews.com (English).
- ↑ Historical Snapshot. Douglas DC-5. In: Boeing , accessed April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Berend Jan Floor: Farewellflight KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11. In: aironline.nl. November 11, 2014, accessed January 19, 2018 (Dutch).
- ^ Air France Viscount fleet list. In: vickersviscount.net, accessed on December 4, 2016 (English).
- ↑ KLM ( Memento from May 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: hansstol.totaldesign.nl, accessed on April 20, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Stefan Eiselin: This is what KLM will look like in the future. In: aerotelegraph.com, December 8, 2014, accessed April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Why KLM calls an aircraft the "Sunflower". In: aerotelegraph.com, accessed December 15, 2015.
- ↑ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net, accessed on June 20, 2017 (English).
- ↑ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines History. (No longer available online.) In: theklmsource.com. Plain English Websites, 2012, archived from the original on July 19, 2013 ; accessed on October 6, 2019 (English).
- ↑ KLM Asia Boeing 777-206 (ER) by Dutch. In: jetphotos.net. February 25, 2012, accessed on July 3, 2013 (Photo of a Boeing 777-200ER painted by KLM Asia).
- ↑ 777 KLM Asia. In: flickr . Yahoo !, July 27, 2012, accessed July 3, 2013 .
- ↑ Martin Inäbnit lends a hand at SkyWork. Retrieved September 11, 2019 .
- ↑ Accident statistics from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines , Aviation Safety Network , accessed on April 3, 2020 (English).
- ^ Accident report DC-2 PH-AJU , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 24, 2020.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part March 44 , 1992, pp. 92/26 (English).
- ^ Accident report DC-3 PH-TBO. Aviation Safety Network , accessed December 7, 2017.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part March 44 , 1992, pp. 92/26 (English).
- ^ Accident report DC-3 PH-TBW. Aviation Safety Network , accessed December 7, 2017.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part June 45 , 1992, p. 53 (English).
- ^ Accident report DC-3 PH-TCR. Aviation Safety Network , accessed November 23, 2017.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part March 48 , 1993, p. 25 (English).
- ^ Accident report L-049 PH-TEN. Aviation Safety Network , accessed November 23, 2017.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 49 , June 1993, p. 54 (English).
- ^ Accident report L-749 PH-TER. Aviation Safety Network , accessed November 23, 2017.
- ^ Accident report L-749 PH-TDF. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part September 50 , 1993, p. 81 (English).
- ↑ Accident report DC-3 PH-TEU. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ^ Accident report DC-6 PH-TPJ. Aviation Safety Network , accessed February 27, 2016.
- ^ Accident report L-749 PH-TFF. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ^ Accident report CV-240 PH-TEI. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ↑ Accident report DC-6B PH-DFO. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ↑ ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No. 7. Circular 50-AN / 45. Montreal 1957 (English), pp. 20-34.
- ^ Accident report L-1049 PH-LKY. Aviation Safety Network , accessed December 21, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-6B PH-DFK. Aviation Safety Network , accessed January 23, 2020.
- ^ ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest 12. Circular 54-AN / 58. Montreal 1963, pp. 23-30 (English).
- ^ Accident report L-1049H PH-LKM. Aviation Safety Network , accessed August 29, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-8-53 PH-DCL. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- ↑ accident report L.188 PH-LLM. Aviation Safety Network , accessed May 15, 2017.
- Jump up ↑ The 10 Biggest Airplane Crashes of All Time. In: aerosecure.de, August 2007 (list is no longer generated on request).
- ↑ Flight accident data and report PH-KSH in the Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 20, 2017.
- ↑ CIAIAC : Report A-070/2004 ( fomento.es , PDF; 4.3 MB; English; accessed on October 6, 2014).
- ↑ KLM is converting the phased out MD-11 into a holiday home. In: airliners.de, November 18, 2014, accessed on July 15, 2016.
- ↑ Willem-Alexander: At KLM, the king sometimes sits in the cockpit, May 18, 2017. In: aerotelegraph.com, accessed on June 20, 2017.