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KLM West-Indisch Bedrijf (WIB[1] or KLM West Indies Company) was a subsidiary of KLM, which operated flights within the Dutch West-Indies (Netherlands Antilles and Suriname) and their neighbouring countries.
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| Founded | 1934 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | December 22, 1934 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | August 1, 1964 | ||||||
| Hubs | Curaçao, Paramaribo | ||||||
| Focus cities | Dutch West Indies, Venezuela | ||||||
| Parent company | KLM | ||||||
| Headquarters | Amstelveen, Netherlands | ||||||
| Founder | Albert Plesman | ||||||
History edit
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Its foundation was made possible partly by the insurance of the Dutch PTT, who offered a lucrative contract for delivering mail to the Dutch Colonies. The first mail flight arriving from the Netherlands to Curaçao by the Fokker F.XVIII PH-AIS "Snip" on December 22, 1934, marked the beginning of the company.[2][3]
Initially, the West-Indisch Bedrijf mainly flew from Willemstad, Curaçao to Aruba (with the first flight occurring on 19 January 1935), Venezuela and Jamaica in cooperation with Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM). Only after World War II regular flights Amsterdam-Curaçao occurred. World War II itself was of major importance to WIB. Because of the oil refineries in Aruba, WIB became a major transporter and one of the best-run airlines of its day.
On August 1, 1964, the West-Indisch Bedrijf was transformed into ALM Antillean Airlines, in which the Netherlands Antilles became a shareholder.[4]
Fleet edit
KLM West-Indisch Bedrijf operated the following aircraft:[5]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convair CV-340 | 9 | 1953 | 1964 | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 10 | 1946 | 1960 | |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 8 | 1946 | 1954 | |
| Douglas DC-5 | 2 | 1950 | 1951 | |
| Douglas DC-6 | 7 | 1957 | 1963 | |
| fokker F.VIII | 2 | 1937 | 1939 | |
| Fokker F.XVIII | 2 | 1935 | 1938 | |
| Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior | 1 | 1944 | 1945 | |
| Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra | 4 | 1938 | 1948 | |
| Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar | 2 | 1943 | 1948 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Operator index > Curaçao > KLM West-Indisch Bedrijf".
- ^ "A Fokker F-XVIII flies to the Antilles".
- ^ "History of KLM - KLM Netherlands".
- ^ "KLM West-Indisch Bedrijf history from Americas, Dutch West Indies".
- ^ "KLM West Indies". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved 19 December 2023.