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1946
- 1946 With the advent of aircraft that could cover far greater distances, transatlantic routes became a more feasible option. KLM was the first airline to begin operating scheduled service to New York from mainland Europe, laying the foundation for its transatlantic network.
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On 21 May 1946, KLM was the first continental European airline to start scheduled transatlantic flights between Amsterdam and New York City using Douglas DC-4 aircraft. [11] By 1948, KLM had reconstructed its network and services to Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean resumed.
In May that year, KLM became the first airline that linked Continental Europe with the North of England, when the Amsterdam– Hull route was inaugurated; [9] the Amsterdam–Liverpool service was re-routed via Doncaster in mid-1936. [10]
1924. On the initiative of the Comité Vliegtocht Nederland-Indië (Flight Committee for the Dutch East Indies), KLM operated its first intercontinental test flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) with a single-engine Fokker F-VII, demonstrating that Europe and Asia could be safely connected by air.
- Early Beginnings in Amsterdam
- Opening Up Intercontinental Service - Flights to Indonesia
- New Destinations and Aircraft
- Tough Times During The War Years
- Change of Ownership – Nationalizing The Company
- Entering The Jet Age
- Moving to Modern Times
- The Company Today – Air France-KLM
KLM – or to give it its full title Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, meaning Royal Aviation Company -was founded in 1919 by a group of investors and its first director Albert Plesman. The airline started flying in May 1920, with the first flight using a leased DeHavilland DH-16 plane to fly from Croydon, London to Amsterdam. Onboard were two jou...
Throughout its early history, KLM worked closely with the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. This was most evident with the design of a new aircraft for intercontinental travel, the Fokker F.VII. This made itsfirst flight from Amsterdam to Jakarta(known as Batavia then) in October 1924 – a ground-breaking 55-day journey proving the possibilities o...
Over the following years, intercontinental service expanded. During the 1930s, service began to Curacao, and the Batavia service was extended to operate to Australia. The airline also introduced aircraft from US manufacturer Douglas– their first move into the European market. Fokker aircraft served the company well, but the higher speed of the Doug...
The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 hit KLM hard. With the Netherlands occupied by Germany,service was suspended. A few aircraft, however, were used in the UK by BOAC on routes from London. Others that were in Dutch East Indian territory at the time of the outbreak remained there and were used for refugee transportation. As soon as the war...
Soon after the end of the war, the Dutch government took a small stake in the airline, but it remained under private control. This changed in 1954 following the death of long term president Albert Plesman. The financial pressures at that time saw the Dutch government increase its ownership to two thirds, making KLM a Dutch national company. This cl...
KLM took delivery of its first jet engine aircraft in March 1960 – a Douglas DC8,fittingly named after the former president Albert Plesman. As other airlines also experienced, this brought huge advances in route possibilities and reduction in flight times, but also challenging cost increases which likely contributed to their nationalization. Anothe...
Growth at KLM continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Passenger traffic grew from 9.7 million passengers in 1980 to 16 million in 1990. And the now very familiar 747-400entered service in 1989. The airline also grew its worldwide presence through partnerships and acquisitions. In 1989, KLM acquired a 20 percent stake in US-based Northwest Airlines. ...
Major changes took place in May 2004 when KLM finalized its merger with Air France to form Air France-KLM. Both airlines would continue though to operate under their own brands. Soon after KLM became a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance– bringing shared benefits in operations and customer loyalty between the 29 member airlines. The company has ...
- Senior Editor
Jun 30, 2022 · Back in 1946, KLM was the first European airline to operate flights between Europe and North America. This began a shift in network focus away from the east towards new destinations in the west. Then came the 1960s and the dawn of the jet age.
Oct 22, 2024 · On May 21, 1946, it became the first European airline to introduce scheduled service across the North Atlantic, to New York. The same year, it established trunk lines across the South Atlantic, to Curaçao and South America. In 2004 KLM joined SkyTeam, an international airline alliance.
In 1934, it launched its first intercontinental route, connecting Amsterdam with the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). This marked a significant milestone in the history of aviation, as KLM became the first airline to offer regular scheduled flights between Europe and Asia.
