Amsterdam-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is one of the oldest airlines in the world. Its network is entirely international and it operates short and long-haul flights to every continent, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. It has a modern fleet comprised of Boeing and Airbus aircraft and was the last carrier to retire the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in 2014. Its base is at Amsterdam Schiphol international airport.
Routes
KLM has a heavy presence in the Western Hemisphere. Along with its sister company, Air France, which also has a major presence in North and South America, KLM connects the Netherlands with many of its provinces in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as energy-driven economies such as Houston, Rio de Janeiro, and Calgary.
Many of KLM’s transatlantic routes are operated in conjunction with its joint venture partner, Delta Air Lines.
Within Africa, KLM flies primarily to Central and West Africa, along with a few South African cities, and in particular to tourism-driven Safari destinations in Kenya and Tanzania. However, KLM does not offer nearly as many African markets as does Brussels Airlines. In the Middle East, KLM flies to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait, and Iran.
In Asia-Pacific, KLM flies to numerous primary markets, as well as to several secondary Chinese cities such as Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Xiamen, many of which are operated in tandem with its SkyTeam Chinese partners such as Xiamen Air. It also operates several fifth-freedom routes from markets like Jakarta, Manila, and Denpasar.
Finally, KLM operates numerous fifth-freedom routes, which means you can purchase tickets on some of these city pairs for short-haul travel. Often, the fares from cities like Denpasar to Singapore are very inexpensive and can provide you the KLM experience without having to travel to Amsterdam.
Fleet
KLM is still operating the 747-400, including the regular -400 passenger variant as well as the 747-4M, which is the Combi version (which is half cargo, half passenger). Its short-haul flights are operated by next-generation Boeing 737 planes, which feature a great in-flight product.
In the past, KLM operated the Airbus A310, the Boeing 767, and the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11. Currently, it has 116 aircraft in-service, consisting of:
- 8 Airbus A330-200s
- 5 Airbus A330-300s
- 18 737-700NGs
- 27 737-800NGs
- 5 737-900NGs
- 4 747-400S
- 10 747-COMBIs
- 15 777-200ERs
- 14 777-300ERs
- 10 787-9s
In the order pipeline, KLM has:
- 7 Airbus A350-900s
- 13 Boeing 787-9s
- 8 Boeing 787-10s
