NETHERLANDS: China Airlines Support KLM

KLM works with three Chinese airline partners: China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. These partners have now stepped in to generously support KLM and the Netherlands by donating many tens of thousands of face masks and gloves to KLM in our struggle against the coronavirus outbreak.

In light of scarce resources at Dutch hospitals, KLM will in turn be helping the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and other Dutch healthcare institutes.

Today, in the early hours of the morning, the first shipment arrived at Schiphol carried by one of Xiamen Airlines' aircraft.

On behalf of the employees of the three Chinese airlines, KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers accepted this first shipment of in total around 90,000 face masks and 50,000 pairs of gloves.

KLM's CEO was accompanied by Ernst Kuipers, Chairman of the Boards of Erasmus MC and the Dutch Network for Acute Medical Care (Landelijk Netwerk Acute Zorg -- LNAZ), and Brinio Veldhuijzen van Zanten of KLM Health Services.

Over the past 20 years, KLM has established a broad-based route network, coupled with especially close relations in China.

Before the outbreak of the corona crisis, KLM and its partners operated 59 flights a week from Schiphol to mainland China. Shipments of this nature serve to underscore the enormous significance of connections by air in general, and those with China in particular.

Medical supplies like this can only be transported swiftly and efficiently to the other side of the world by aircraft. This is especially important in times of scarcity and interdependence.

KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers highlighted that: "Help of this nature from our Chinese partners China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines is both incredibly generous and much appreciated.

Help like this from our Chinese friends serves to highlight just how close the ties are between China, the Netherlands and KLM. These are incredibly difficult times for our country and our company, so we are very pleased with this support for KLM and for the Netherlands.

Less than two months ago, we at KLM made a donation to China and now we have received fantastic and generous help ourselves. This certainly feels good."

On behalf of all Dutch healthcare institutes, LNAZ is coordinating the stocks of personal protective gear for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ernst Kuipers, CEO Erasmus MC thanked KLM and said, "This donation will help all Dutch healthcare institutes at a critical phase of caring for patients across the Netherlands. We are also incredibly grateful to KLM's Chinese partners for this."

KLM will be flying from Hong Kong to Amsterdam at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. The airline has been granted an exemption from the Dutch aviation authorities for the landing ban that applies to flights from the Chinese city, the Consulate General in Hong Kong announced.

Dutch and residents of other EU or Schengen countries stuck in Hong Kong are advised to contact the Dutch airline.

KLM is flying two final flights from Seoul, South Korea this week. The first will be on Tuesday, the second on Thursday, and both flights may be booked on KLM's website.

Cabin crew members of various airlines are deeply concerned about the risks of flying, especially on repatriating flights filled with passengers. "People are afraid," Chris van Elswijk of the Dutch Cabin Crew Association said to Hart van Nederland. "People are concerned about the distance and contact moments with passengers."

According to Van Elswijk, who is a purser for KLM, cabin crew members are trying to stick to the government guidelines of staying 1.5 meters from others, but that is not always possible. "If you work in a full aircraft with 300 passengers, you cannot meet the guidelines that are set," he said.

Airlines are working on measures to increase the safety of passengers and crew, he said. KLM, for example, adjusted the onboard service schedule so that there is less physical- or close range contact between passengers and crew.

And if crew members do not want to fly on a certain flight, their employers are open to discuss their concerns and alternatives, he said.

Because halting all air traffic is not yet an option, Van Elswijk said to Hart van Nederland. There are still many Dutch people abroad. They still have to be picked up.

Meanwhile, the first batch of Rwandans who were stranded abroad amid the novel coronavirus outbreak arrived in Rwanda Sunday, thanks to the Government’s partnership with Dutch airline KLM.

Most governments placed their countries into lockdown with no flights allowed to fly in as a measure to contain Covid-19, which left many people stranded in other countries, including Rwandans.

Rwanda itself put a stop to passenger planes and only emergence landings and cargo transporters are allowed into the country.

Rwandan nationals especially students who study abroad and other diaspora communities had expressed concern recently after failing to find a way to come back home.

The Government had promised that it was working out an alternative to rescue nationals and legal residents who were facing travel difficulties as a result of restrictions imposed by different countries.

“It’s true there is an arrangement between the Government of Rwanda and KLM! The 1st flight was yesterday, another departed today!” Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Rwanda’s Ambassador to The Hague said.

Karabaranga added that the last flight is expected Wednesday 25.

The Ambassador indicated that they have been spreading information regarding the arrangement by informing the diaspora members.

The Minister in charge of East African Community at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said this follows a conversation with ambassadors to facilitate all Rwandans abroad.

We had a video call with all ambassadors on Friday and they are facilitating everyone who wants to come back to Rwanda to be able to get here, he noted.

Rwanda has so far registered 19 Covid-19 cases as of Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health.

NETHERLANDS: KLM The Worlds Oldest Airline Celebrates Its 100th Birthday

Dutch flag carrier KLM is celebrating its 100th anniversary Monday, making it one of the oldest airlines in the world and the oldest still flying under its original name.

KLM, short for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij — “royal air transport company” in Dutch — was founded Oct. 7, 1919, though its first flight didn’t take to the skies until May 17, 1920.

Since then, KLM has become a major part of the international airline landscape, connecting far-flung destinations from its hub in Amsterdam.

It serves about 165 destinations from Schiphol airport (AMS) today. It’s now part of the Air France-KLM group, after their 2004 merger, and a member of the SkyTeam alliance with Delta Air Lines.

Air France-KLM’s frequent flyer program, Flying Blue, is probably the best tool to find award availability on SkyTeam carriers.

From Amsterdam, the airline serves the US with a mix of airplanes including the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777, 787 and even 747; it’s one of the few airlines that still operate the latter.

KLM has also been a social-media pioneer, and is known for videos that feature cute dogs.

As the airline looks to its next 100 years, it’s trying to stay on the cutting edge of of aviation technology, experimenting with more sustainable fuel sources and the “flying V” experimental fuselage.

Hangar 10 was the backdrop to the “KLM Experience”, where guests were treated to an impressive overview of KLM’s past, present and future. This included an in-depth look at KLM’s development over the decades and the role it played in international civil aviation.

Pieter Elbers, KLM President & CEO said the fact that we are celebrating our 100th anniversary is not just testimony to a century of successful enterprise, innovation, and commerce, but also to the faith that customers and partners have in KLM. It is an ode to KLM’s aviation pioneers, who literally put civil aviation on the map worldwide. KLM is the oldest international airline still operating under its original name. We were the first airline to successfully pursue partnerships and alliances, after which many other countries and airlines followed our example. This has brought together hundreds of millions of people around the globe. As Albert Plesman put it: “The ocean of the air unites all people.” We may take pride in our long list of achievements and efforts over the past 100 years. And so we stand – energetic and confident – on the threshold of a new century. Filled with the same pioneering and enterprising spirit, we look forward, with optimism, to taking on the challenges of sustainability and innovation.

Finance Minister of The Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra said, you feel at home aboard a KLM aircraft. Wherever you are, when you’re with KLM, the Netherlands feels close by. Together with Schiphol, KLM is of great importance to our global connectivity and hence to employment opportunities in the Netherlands. The world is no longer the same as it was 100 years ago, but the pioneering spirit of Albert Plesman is still very much alive at the company. I wish KLM a wonderful centenary and a successful, innovative, jet-setting future, in which the company will join hands with Air France in achieving their superb share objective to become Europe’s best airline.

KLM’s 100th Delftware miniature

In keeping with tradition, today KLM marked its anniversary with the presentation of a new Delftware miniature house; a moment eagerly awaited by faithful collectors all over the world.

This year’s miniature is a replica of Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, the home of King Willem-Alexander and his family. Today the first copy of KLM’s 100th Delftware miniature house was presented to Finance Minister Wopke Hoestra by KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers.

Huis ten Bosch Palace was built in the mid-17th century at the behest of Prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange and his wife Amalia van Solms.

It was extended in the first half of the 18th century by Prince Willem IV. After Willem I was crowned King of the Netherlands in 1815, the palace was regularly home to members of the Dutch royal family.

Since January 2019, Huis ten Bosch Palace has been the residence of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and their three daughters. The palace also serves as a ceremonial venue.

KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers said to me, Huis ten Bosch Palace symbolises the special bond between KLM and the Netherlands and the fact that we have borne the predicate Royal for the past 100 years. It is, therefore, a point of pride and honour that our 100th Delftware miniature is a replica of this very special building.

KLM100 House 100.1
Since the 1950s, KLM has presented specially designed Delftware miniature houses to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights.

The houses are replicas of monumental buildings throughout the Netherlands. The number of houses in the collection has kept pace with KLM’s anniversary since 1994, with new miniatures added to the collection on or around KLM’s anniversary on 7 October.

KLM book

KLM will also mark its centenary with a special book titled Welcome Aboard – 100 years of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The first copy was presented by KLM’s current Board of Managing Directors, Pieter Elbers, René de Groot and Erik Swelheim, to three former KLM presidents, Pieter Bouw, Leo van Wijk and Peter Hartman.

KLM Festivities Everywhere

Today, KLM staff worldwide shared special treats in honour of our 100th anniversary. There was cake and a special message from Pieter Elbers. In addition, all KLM staff will receive the coveted 100th KLM Delftware miniature house and have been invited to attend the “KLM Experience”.

Over the past weekend, KLM staff in their thousands were immersed in 100 years of KLM history. Many thousands more will gather this weekend, to undergo an unforgettable experience, featuring a wide array of events, shows, and activities.

Tourism Observer

POLAND: Wrocław A Cultural City Is New KLM Destination

From 6 May 2019, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will expand its network to include the Polish city of Wrocław. The service will be operated with an Embraer 175, which has a maximum capacity of 88 passengers. This lively university city will be KLM's fourth destination in Poland.

Wrocław lies in the west of Poland and has much to offer travellers. In 2016 it was Cultural Capital of Europe.

The addition of Wrocław to our network strengthens KLM's position as an important player in the central European market. Wrocław is also a new destination for Mainport Schiphol and thereby an expansion of Schiphol's network.

The city of Wrocław has a population of more than 600,000 and is Poland's fourth largest city. Wrocław is KLM's fourth destination in Poland after Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk.

Air France began operating a service to Wrocław's Copernicus Airport this summer. Wrocław is a lively university city where trade and industry flourish. It has a beautiful old market square, which is lined by pastel-coloured buildings housing cafes and restaurants.

KLM will operate a daily service from Schiphol to Wrocław using Embraer 175 equipment. This aircraft has 20 business class seats, an Economy Comfort zone with 8 seats, and 60 Economy Class seats.

- KL1271 departs Amsterdam Schiphol at 11.50 hours and arrives at Copernicus Airport Wrocław at 13.35 hours.

- KL1272 departs Wrocław at 14:05 hours and arrives at Schiphol at 15.55 hours.


Tourism Observer

Air France Strikes Disastrous For KLM’s Finances, Reputation And Cohesiveness Of Air France-KLM Pact

The impact of the ongoing strikes at Air France is disastrous for the AF-KLM combine, KLM president Pieter Elbers said in a letter to KLM staff.

The 11th strike in a few weeks was staged at Air France on Tuesday.

The strikes are over pay and have cost Air France nearly €300m so far.

Elbers said the Air France strikes were bad for KLM’s finances and reputation as well as for the cohesiveness of Air France-KLM pact which, he said, is the true strength of the combine.

Air France CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac is organising a vote among AF workers to determine whether there is enough support for the company’s wage proposal.

The French aviation unions are campaigning for a ‘no’ vote.

Last Friday, Janaillac said he personally would bear the consequences of the vote if it went against him.

Air France KLM French unit said on Tuesday that a consultation period to reach a deal with workers striking over pay would run from April 26 until May 4.

This is as the airline seeks to end a strike estimated to have cost it some 300 million euros or $366 million.

Air France’s pay offer of a 7 percent wage increase over 4 years has not received majority backing from the unions.

The airline’s chairman Jean-Marc Janaillac has said it would be hard for him to stay if the pay talks failed.

The Air France strikes have coincided with strikes from workers at the SNCF state rail firm protesting against government plans to reform the SNCF, causing widespread travel disruption in France over the last month.



Tourism Observer

NETHERLANDS: Flight Information Available to KLM Passengers On WhatsApp

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the messaging application WhatsApp have launched a new service that gives the carrier’s customers access to flight information through their mobile phones.

Operating on a pilot scheme, the program offers KLM’s passengers the opportunity to receive booking confirmation, check-in notification, boarding pass, flight status updates and answers to questions in 10 different languages on WhatsApp via the official WhatsApp Business application.

According to an announcement, KLM is one of the first companies and very first airline worldwide with a verified WhatsApp business account.

Together with a small number of businesses, WhatsApp is testing ways for businesses to communicate with customers using the program.

The rollout has already started in a limited number of countries, and the service will become more widely available in the coming days and weeks.

We want to be where our customers are and, given the 1 billion users, you have to be on WhatsApp.

With an account verified by WhatsApp, we offer our customers worldwide a reliable way to receive their flight information and ask questions 24/7.

This truly is a major next step in our social media strategy, said KLM President and CEO Pieter Elbers.

Customers can also directly contact KLM’s social media service agents, 24/7, via WhatsApp. Futhermore, messages are secure so that they can only be read by the customer and KLM.

The service is available to customers, who book tickets or check in via KLM.com and opt-in to receive information via WhatsApp.




Tourism Observer

INDIA: KLM And Jet Airways To Partner In Flight And Cargo Business

KLM- a part of one of the largest airlines in Europe, is looking to increase its presence in India as it plans to launch a new flight to Mumbai and enhance cargo co-operation within the country.

At present, the airlines, which is a part of the Air France-KLM group, however, operated in a limited capacity and faces intense competition from airlines based in Europe and the Gulf.

We hear KLM plans to resume Amsterdam-Mumbai service after nearly twenty years. Can you share details?

We are seriously considering launching a flight to Mumbai but it is not confirmed yet. There has been an enormous growth of business and relations between India and Netherlands. We have moved from having no connection between Amsterdam-Mumbai to a daily service by Jet Airways.

Moreover, the Airbus A330 aircraft, which had a capacity to accommodate 254-293 passengers, was upgraded to a Boeing 777 aircraft with 346 seats in six months' time.


How are your relations with Jet Airways shaping up? Does the partnership with Jet Airways allow you to bridge the gap with Lufthansa, which is largest European airline group in India?

Our strategy is to have a strong local partner in a country where we operate. Until now, the Air France-KLM group had three destinations in India including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. With Jet Airways launching flights between Paris and Chennai in winter, we will have a fourth destination and Bengaluru will be connected to both Paris and Amsterdam.

Together with Jet Airways, we will have 61 flights to Amsterdam and Paris during the winter season, thereby stepping up our presence in the market. That also makes us the second largest airline group after Lufthansa, which has 67 weekly flights, and we are catching up to become the first.

Our strategy is to connect the networks and passengers from tier II towns in India can travel to tier II towns in the US via Amsterdam. This is a win-win situation for the Air France-KLM group as well as the Jet Airways.

Is Air France-KLM expanding co-operation with Jet Airways to other areas such as cargo and aircraft maintenance?

We are exploring a partnership with Jet in cargo. We think we have a good opportunity with increasing trade between India and Europe. A Boeing 777 aircraft has 15-17 tonnes of cargo capacity and we are exploring an opportunities involving, cross selling, sharing of aircraft belly space and cargo handling with Jet.

We do have some co-operation on engineering but it is relatively on a small scale and there could be an opportunity to further it.

Last year Jet Airways signed an MOU to enter into a commercial joint venture pact with Air France-KLM. What is the status of the proposed JV.

We have put a lot of efforts to ensure daily operations work well. It is important for our customers to have a seamless connection and a smooth transfer at hubs. The way we conduct financial settlements among airlines is not relevant for customers. For customers, it is relevant that they have good products and a seamless service.

A JV is always a point on the horizon and at some point, it could happen. But if we look at the most successful and enhanced partnership like the one we have with Delta Airlines, it took us years for us to come to that point. Personally, I prefer to make sure everything is good for customers first and then take steps on financial settlements and JVs.

How is your relation with Etihad and other Gulf airlines? Do you see them as partners or adversaries?

We do have co-operation with Etihad. We do have code shares between our hub and Abu Dhabi. We have partnership with Etihad and we are competing with Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Airlines are now looking for partners outside their alliances. Is that going to be a new trend?

If you look at our code-sharing agreements, we have such pacts with Delta, China Southern, China Eastern, Kenya Airways (all Sky Team members). Our partnerships are with the core members of the Sky Team. There are a few exceptions and every airline has a few exceptions. I would not put it as a new trend.