KLM Airlines, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, boasts a rich history dating back to its founding on October 7, 1919. The airline is a proud member of the SkyTeam alliance, which also encompasses SkyTeam Cargo. As part of the Air France-KLM group, KLM Airlines holds a distinguished position in the aviation industry. Remarkably, it holds the distinction of being the world's oldest operating airline, with a workforce of 35,488 employees and a comprehensive network of scheduled passenger and cargo services spanning 145 destinations.

History

Founded by a group of eight Dutch businessmen, including the notable Frits Fentener van Vlissingen, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines emerged as one of the earliest commercial airline ventures. The inaugural flight, piloted by Jerry Shaw, took to the skies on May 17, 1920, carrying 15,143 passengers. In 1936, KLM introduced the Douglas DC-3, marking the first of many aircraft in its fleet. Additionally, KLM earned the distinction of being the first airline to serve Manchester's New Ringway Airport.

The airline faced economic challenges during the 1973 oil crisis, prompting KLM to seek government support for debt refinancing. Subsequently, the government's ownership stake increased to a majority share of 78% in the late 1970s, while private stakeholders continued to play a role in the company's management.

Global Destinations

Experience the Joy of traveling with the KLM Airways, that flies into more taht 15 objections Globally. This includes various destinations like the Turks, Cuba, Mexico, the Bahamas,Caicos Islands, Aruba, and Cayman Islands. So where ever you wish to travel, you can take the KLM flights as a partener to your global destinations tour.

1980s and 1990s

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines carried 9,715,069 passengers in 1980. In 1983, it agreed with Boeing to upgrade around ten of its Boeing 747-200 aircrafts. The work started at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, in 1984. The work got completed in 1986. The airline also operated the converted aircraft and the three newly built Boeing 747-300s. KLM also delivered the first of ten Airbus A310 passenger jets. The Dutch government's shareholding in the company was reduced to around 54.8 per cent in 1986.

The airline also started developing its hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with the liberalization of the European Market. It also acquired a stake of 20% in Northwest Airlines in July 1989. The airline carried 16,000,000 passengers in 1990, and it became the first European airline to introduce a frequent flyer program called the Flying Dutchman in December 1991.

Joint venture

United States Department of Transportation granted KLM airline and the Northwest Airlines anti-trust immunity in January 1993. This allowed them to intensify their partnership. The airlines operated their flights between the US and Europe on September 1993

Northwest Airlines and KLM introduced World Business Class on the intercontinental routes in March 1994. The airline company also introduced Boeing 767-300ER in the year 1995. They acquired a 26% share in Kenya Airways in the year 1996. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also repurchased all the regular shares from the Dutch government for making KLM a private company in August 1998.

Air France-KLM Merger

Air France and KLM, both the airlines agreed to a merger plan on 30 September 2003. According to this plan, Air France and KLM would become the subsidiaries of a holding company called Air France-KLM. The European Commission and the United States Department of Justice also approved the airlines' merger in February 2004.

2010's

At the beginning of September 2010, KLM airlines integrated the passenger division of Martinair into KML. It also transferred all the personnel and routes. KLM also announced that Peter Hartman would resign as the president and the CEO of KLM on 1 July 2013. Eurlings, in a joint consultation with the supervisory board, decided to immediately leave as president and CEO on 15 October 2014. Then, he was succeeded by Pieter Elbers. At the World Airline Awards 2013, KLM received the award for 'Best Airline Staff Service'. KLM was awarded the same title in 2012 too.

Management

Pieter Elbers is KLM's president and CEO as of October 2015. KLM's management and supervision are structured according to the two-tier model. The supervisory board supervises the general performance of KLM.

Head office

The head office of the airline company is located in Amstelveen. It is located on a 16-acre site near the Schiphol airport. The headquarters of the airline was built between 1968 and 1970.

KLM Asia

KLM Asia was established in the year 1995 to operate the flights to Taipei without compromising the traffic lights which were held by KLM. The aircraft which is operated by the subsidiary also receive several modifications to their livery.

The aircraft which was occasionally used to service other destinations was the KLM Asia Aircraft.

Branding

KLM Logo was designed by Dirk Roosenburg. He, then intertwined the letter, K, L and M. He also gave the letters wings and a crown. This crown was depicted for denoting the royal status of KLM. This logo was redesigned in 1961.

KLM Livery

The KLM livery has also primarily featured a bright blue fuselage with little variations on the striping and the details since 1971. KLM also introduced an updated livery. In this updated livery, the white strip was then removed and the dark-blue cheat line was also narrowed.

The airline also introduced new uniforms for its female cabin attendants in April 2010.