The Dutch flag carrier airline KLM operates a fleet of 107 aircraft. The narrow-body fleet is composed of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft which will be replaced by the Airbus A320neo family aircraft in 2024. Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner wide-body aircraft are used primarily on long-haul flights. In September 2023, Air France-KLM announced an order for 50 Airbus A350s. These will replace the group's remaining Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-200ERs, and will be split between Air France and KLM.[1][2]
Current fleet
editAs of July 2024[update], KLM operates the following aircraft:[2][3]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers[3] | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J | W | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
Airbus A320neo | — | 100 | TBA | 180 | Deliveries from July 2024 to replace Boeing 737 Next Generation.[citation needed] Order to be shared between KLM and subsidiaries Transavia and Transavia France. Order with 60 options.[4] | |||
Airbus A321neo | — | 30 | — | 6 | 191 | 227[5] | ||
Airbus A330-200 | 6 | — | 18 | — | 36 | 210 | 264 | To be retired and replaced by Airbus A350-900. |
Airbus A330-300 | 5 | — | 30 | — | 40 | 222 | 292 | |
Airbus A350-900 | — | 50[6] | 34 | 26 | 33 | 238 | 331[7] | Order with 40 options.[6] These will be shared between Air France and KLM, and will be delivered from 2026 to 2030.[6][8] To replace all remaining Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-200ERs.[6] |
Airbus A350-1000 | — | 34 | 28 | 32 | 297 | 391[7] | ||
Boeing 737-700 | 6 | — | 20 | — | 6 | 106 | 132 | To be retired and replaced by Airbus A320neo family.[4] |
Boeing 737-800 | 31 | — | 20 | — | 6 | 150 | 176 | |
Boeing 737-900 | 5 | — | 20 | — | 30 | 132 | 182 | |
Boeing 777-200ER | 15 | — | 35 | 24 | 54 | 175 | 288 | To be retired in the future and replaced by Airbus A350-1000.[9] |
Boeing 777-300ER | 16 | — | 35 | 24 | 56 | 266 | 381 | |
Boeing 787-9 | 13 | — | 30 | 21 | 48 | 176 | 275 | |
Boeing 787-10 | 10 | 5 | 38 | 28 | 39 | 213 | 318 | Deliveries until 2024.[10] |
KLM Cargo fleet | ||||||||
Airbus A350F | — | 4 | Cargo | To replace Boeing 747-400BCF and Boeing 747-400ERF.[11] To be operated by Martinair. | ||||
Boeing 747-400BCF | 1 | — | Cargo | To be replaced by Airbus A350F.[11] Operated by Martinair. | ||||
Boeing 747-400ERF | 3 | — | Cargo | |||||
Total | 111 | 159 |
Gallery
edit- KLM current fleet
-
Boeing 737-900 in SkyTeam livery
-
Boeing 777-300ER in "Orange Pride" special livery
-
Boeing 787-10 in "100 Years" special livery
Historical fleet
editOver the years, KLM has operated the following aircraft types (list incomplete):[citation needed]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A310-200 | 11 | 1983 | 1997 | Most were sold to FedEx as freighters. |
BAC 1-11-301AG | 1 | 1968 | 1968 | Leased from British Eagle. Operated from Rotterdam to London service in full KLM colours. |
Boeing 737-200 | 3 | 1988 | 1995 | |
Boeing 737-300 | 19 | 1986 | 2011 | |
Boeing 737-400 | 19 | 1989 | 2011 | |
Boeing 747-200B | 4 | 1971 | 1991 | |
1 | 1977 | Crashed as flight KL4805. | ||
Boeing 747-200M | 7 | 1975 | 1986 | |
Boeing 747-200B/SUD | 3 | 1985 | 2003 | |
Boeing 747-200/SUD/SF | 2 | 1998 | 2003 | Converted from two Boeing 747-200M/SUD aircraft. |
Boeing 747-200M/SUD | 7 | 1985 | 2003 | PH-BUK preserved at Lelystad Aerodrome in 2004. |
Boeing 747-300M | 3 | 1983 | 2003 | Largest operator of its type along with Swissair and Singapore Airlines |
Boeing 747-400 | 5 | 1989 | 2020 | European launch customer.[12] Retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Boeing 747-400M | 20 | 1989 | 2021 | 3 aircraft put back into service for cargo retired in October 2020. Largest scheduled operator. |
Boeing 767-300ER | 12 | 1995 | 2007 | |
Carley Werkspoor Jumbo | 1 | 1930 | 1940 | Only 1 aircraft was ever built, PH-AFI. |
Convair 240 | 12 | 1948 | 1959 | |
Convair 340 | 13 | 1953 | 1964 | |
De Havilland DH.9 | 4 | 1921 | 1926 | |
De Havilland DH.16 | 4 | 1920 | 1924 | Leased from Aircraft Transport and Travel. |
Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 2 | 1945 | 1959 | |
Douglas C-54A Skymaster | 16 | |||
Douglas C-54B Skymaster | 3 | |||
Douglas DC-2 | 19 | 1934 | 1946 | |
Douglas DC-3 | 58 | 1936 | 1964 | |
Douglas DC-4 | 6 | 1946 | 1958 | |
Douglas DC-5 | 4 | 1940 | 1941 | |
Douglas DC-6 | 8 | 1948 | 1963 | |
1 | 1952 | Crashed as flight KL592. | ||
Douglas DC-6A | 2 | 1953 | 1961 | |
Douglas DC-6B | 6 | 1952 | 1963 | |
1 | 1954 | Crashed as flight KL608. | ||
Douglas DC-7C | 15 | 1953 | 1966 | |
Douglas DC-8 | 22 | 1960 | 1983 | |
1 | 1968 | Crashed as Viasa flight VA897. | ||
Douglas DC-8-63 | 11 | 1967 | 1985 | |
Douglas DC-9-10 (DC-9-15 model) | 6 | 1966 | 1989 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 (DC-9-32 model) | 12 | 1967 | 1989 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30C (DC-9-33RC model) | 6 | |||
Fokker F.II | 2 | 1920 | 1927 | |
Fokker F.III | 14 | 1921 | 1930 | |
Fokker F.VII | 5 | 1924 | 1936 | |
Fokker F.VIIa | 15 | 1925 | 1940 | |
Fokker F.VIIb/3m | 10 | 1928 | 1936 | |
Fokker F.VIII | 7 | 1927 | 1940 | |
Fokker F.IX | 2 | 1930 | 1936 | |
Fokker F.XII | 8 | 1931 | 1936 | |
Fokker F.XVIII | 5 | 1932 | 1946 | |
Fokker F.XX | 1 | 1933 | 1936 | |
Fokker F.XXII | 3 | 1935 | 1939 | |
Fokker F.XXXVI | 1 | 1935 | 1939 | |
Ilyushin Il-62 | 7 | 1971 | 1972 | Joint operation with Aeroflot. Used for the Tokyo ~ Moscow ~ Amsterdam service.[13] |
Koolhoven FK-33 | 1 | 1925 | 1927 | |
Koolhoven FK-40 | 1 | 1929 | 1936 | Only 1 aircraft was ever built: PH-AES. |
Koolhoven FK-43 | 9 | 1932 | 1940 | |
Koolhoven FK-48 | 1 | 1934 | 1940 | Used as a trainer aircraft. |
Lockheed L-049 Constellation | 6 | 1946 | 1950 | |
Lockheed L-749 Constellation | 13 | 1953 | ||
Lockheed L-749A Constellation | 7 | 1960 | ||
Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation | 11 | 1953 | 1966 | |
1 | 1954 | Crashed as flight KL633. | ||
1 | 1957 | Crashed as flight KL844. | ||
Lockheed L-1049G Constellation | 6 | 1966 | ||
Lockheed L-1049H Constellation | 2 | 1966 | ||
1 | 1958 | Crashed as flight KL607-E. | ||
Lockheed L-188C Electra | 12 | 1959 | 1969 | |
1961 | Crashed as flight KL823. | |||
Lockheed Super Electra-14 | 5 | 1938 | 1948 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 12 | 1972 | 1995 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 10 | 1993 | 2014 | Last passenger commercial operator. Three aircraft are currently stored. |
Stearman Hammond Y-1S | 1 | 1937 | 1939 | Used as a trainer aircraft. |
Vickers V.803 Viscount | 9 | 1957 | 1966 |
Fleet development
editFleet strategy
editKLM's first of 8 Boeing 787-10 aircraft was delivered on 28 June 2019; it featured 100th anniversary markings.[14]
On 19 June 2013, KLM had ordered 7 Airbus A350-900s. In June 2019, Air France–KLM announced that KLM will not take up any of the group's ordered A350s, because of fleet rationalization purposes.[citation needed]
CEO Ben Smith has announced at Air France's Investor Day (5 November 2019) in Paris that "in the near future" KLM will only use the 777 and 787 as their long-haul fleet, retiring their 13 A330s.[15] This move would have made KLM an all-Boeing carrier, however KLM announced in December 2021 that an order was placed for 100 A320neo and A321neo aircraft, which is to be shared between it and Transavia. This order will replace KLM's short-haul Boeing 737 fleet, alongside Transavia's.[citation needed]
There is considerable speculation on the replacement of KLM’s aging 777 and A330 fleet, of which the oldest 777-200s date back to 2003. On the 23rd of August 2023, it was reported that in contrast to prior speculation that KLM was considering Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft types, it will likely opt to further increase the numbers of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to the existing fleet.[16]
Special liveries
editKLM has several aircraft painted in special liveries; they include:
- PH-BVA, a Boeing 777-300ER, features an orange forward fuselage that fades into the standard blue to commemorate the Netherlands national team's participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[17]
- PH-KZU, a Fokker F70, has been applied with a special livery featuring Anthony Fokker, the founder of Fokker, commemorating the airline's long-standing history with Fokker aircraft and the phase-out of the Fokker 70 aircraft in October 2017.[18]
- Several aircraft bear the silver SkyTeam alliance livery, including PH-BVD (a 777-300ER), PH-BXO (a 737-900), and PH-EZX (a KLM Cityhopper ERJ-190).[citation needed]
- PH-BKA, a Boeing 787-10, features the standard KLM livery with a 100 wrapped around its lettering on the plane, this is because of the 100 years of being an established airline.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Our aircraft". KLM.
- ^ a b "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines". Airfleets.net. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Seating plans". KLM. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ a b "KLM Group chooses Airbus A320neo family for KLM and Transavia's European fleet" (Press release). KLM Group. 16 December 2021.
- ^ "KLM SafetyHerald". www.klmsafetyherald.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ a b c d "The Air France-KLM Group will place an order for 50 Airbus A350 family aircraft - with purchase rights for 40 additional aircraft - to accelerate the renewal of its long-haul fleet". Air France-KLM Group (Press release). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ a b "KLM MAAKT INDELING AIRBUS A350'S BEKEND: MEER STOELEN DAN A330 EN 777". 12 December 2023.
- ^ "KLM to invest in cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft with an order of new Airbus A350s". KLM to invest in cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft with an order of new Airbus A350s. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ (Press release) https://www.klm.nl/information/travel-class-extra-options/aircraft-types/boeing-777-200er/.
{{cite press release}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ "The Air France - KLM group takes a next step in optimization of the long haul fleet". Newsroom KLM. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Air France-KLM orders new Airbus freighter, passenger aircraft". Reuters. 27 January 2023.
- ^ "KLM's First (Oldest) 744 to Leave Fleet". Infinite Flight. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ "Ilyushin 62 - Aeroflot Archives".
- ^ Hales-Dutton, Bruce. "KLM. A Dutch of Class". Airliner World. October 2019: 94.
- ^ "KLM NEEMT DEFINITIEF AFSCHEID VAN AIRBUS A330-VLOOT". 5 November 2019.
- ^ "KLM VERVANGT 777 EN A330 DOOR BOEING 787 DREAMLINER". 23 August 2023.
- ^ "#Orangepride: KLM's unique orange aircraft to promote the Netherlands".
- ^ "A Fond Farewell to Fokker - KLM Blog". 7 June 2017.