Highlights from KLM’s history
A lookback over KLM’s rich and varied history
September 12, 1919 : Queen Wilhelmina grants the epithet “Royal” to KLM.
October 7, 1919 : Foundation of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for the Netherlands and Colonies.
May 17, 1920 : First KLM Flight, route Amsterdam - London. Aircraft: De Havilland DH-16, pilot: Jerry Shaw.
April 4, 1921 : Resumption of services (following a winter break) with KLM’s own aircraft (Fokker F-II) and pilots.
October 1, 1924 : Departure of first intercontinental KLM flight. Route: Amsterdam-Batavia. Aircraft: Fokker F -VII.
September 1929 : Launch of regular Amsterdam-Batavia service, which, before the outbreak of World War II, was to be the longest regular air link in the world.
December 1933 : Christmas and New Year mail on the record flight by the 'Pelikaan'. Route: Amsterdam – Batavia. Aircraft: Fokker F -XVIII.
October 1934 : KLM DC-2 Uiver wins second prize in the handicap section of the London-Melbourne Air Race. In 1984 this flight is repeated by a restored DC-2 in KLM livery, renamed "Uiver".
December 1934 : First Atlantic KLM flight. Route: Amsterdam-Curaçao. Aircraft: Fokker F -XVIII "Snip".
September 1945 : KLM resumes services after World War II, initially only on domestic routes.
May 21, 1946 : Launch of scheduled KLM service between Amsterdam and New York.
November 1, 1958 : First KLM flight via the polar route to Japan.
March 1960 : Dawn of the jet age with the introduction of the Douglas DC-8.
September 12, 1966 : NLM (now KLM cityhopper) founded.
April 1967 : Utilization begins of new home base at Schiphol-Center.
February 1971 : Introduction of the Boeing 747 heralds the start of the “wide-body” age of KLM.
March 1, 1971 : Utilization of current KLM Head Office begins.
November 1975 : Introduction of Boeing 747 Combi marks an important milestone for airfreight.
March 1988 : Takeover of NetherLines.
June 1989 : Introduction of Boeing 747-400, an important milestone in preparations for the 1990s.
July 1989 : KLM takes an important step towards being a global airline by acquiring a 20% share in Northwest Airlines.
April 1, 1991 : KLM founds new strong regional airline: KLM Cityhopper, by amalgamating NLM Cityhopper and NetherLines.
October 1991 : KLM extends its share in Transavia from 40% to 80%.
September 1993 : All KLM and Northwest Airlines flights between Europe and the USA are operated as part of a joint venture.
November 1993 : For the first time in its history, KLM carries more than a million passengers per year.
March 1994 : KLM and Northwest Airlines introduce World Business Class, a new product on intercontinental flights.
July 1995 : KLM introduced Boeing 767-300ER to service.
January 1996 : KLM acquires 26% share in Kenya Airways.
January 1998 : KLM and Malaysian Airlines System announce investigation into commercial cooperation.
February 1998 : KLM-Northwest Airlines alliance honored with ‘Airline of the Year Award’ by influential US trade magazine Air Transport World.
August 1998 : KLM repurchases all regular shares from the Dutch state. The state retains cumulative preference shares A and priority shares with a franchise in excess of 14%.
December 1999 : KLM is the first airline in the world to receive ISO 14001 certification for its environmental care system.
2001 : The airline industry experiences its deepest crisis since the end of World War II due to economic recession, as well as the dramatic decrease in demand for air travel following the September 11 terror attacks on the USA. Airlines, including KLM, announce drastic measures to counter the crisis.
March/June 2002 : KLM announced the first phase of an important renewal of its intercontinental fleet.
October 25, 2003 : Touch down of the first Boeing 777-200R on Schiphol. The Boeing 777 will operate KLM scheduled services to Cape Town, New York and Nairobi.
2004 : KLM and Air France decided to join forces in September last year. More than seven months later, the countdown ended and May 5 stands as the official birthday of the Air France - KLM Group. On that day Air France honored the terms of its share offer and the merger between Air France ans KLM was a fact.
June 2005 : Air France-KLM introduced its new frequent flyer program, Flying Blue. It is the first example in history of two major European airlines combining their loyalty programs.
August 25, 2005 : Airbus delivered the first KLM A330.