KLM President & CEO Marjan Rintel is on Aruba and will present the latest Delftware miniature to Agustin Vrolijk, Acting Governor of Aruba, and the Ecury family, tonight at 20:00 local time.

Agustin Vrolijk, acting Governor of Aruba: I congratulate KLM on its hundred-third anniversary. We are extremely proud of our cultural heritage and are therefore very honored that this iconic mansion, the Ecury complex, has been chosen as KLM's next miniature house. We are deeply honored that Aruba's cultural heritage will now travel to all KLM destinations worldwide.

Marjan Rintel, CEO and President of KLM: “I don't know whether the founders of KLM could have imagined back in 1919 that we would still be celebrating the airline’s anniversary 103 years later. This year we are doing so on lovely Aruba, a KLM destination for almost fifty years, where we are kicking off celebrations today marking a centenary of aviation on the island. KLM has had many ups and downs over the past century, but we’ve always marked our anniversary on 7 October, because we want to keep celebrating that KLM is a wonderful company that connects the Netherlands with the world. We should be proud of that.”

The Ecury House
The house is located in Oranjestad and was built in 1929, close to the site where the first aircraft landed on the island almost 100 years ago. It was the home of the esteemed Ecury family, prominent in society and business. Son Nicasio “Dundun” Ecury built his business empire from here and played an important role in the development of aviation on the island. His son, Boy Ecury, studied in the Netherlands and became a resistance hero during the Second World War. He was betrayed and executed in 1944.

The Ecury House has been part of the National Archaeological Museum of Aruba since 2009 and forms the heart of the museum. It was built in 1929 and features a facade with classical elements, Caribbean gingerbread detailing and local decorative elements. This imposing and harmonious ensemble is a unique creation by the architect Dada Picus.

1934: KLM lands on Aruba for the first time
In December 1934, a triple-engine KLM Fokker F-XVIII, christened “the Snip”, flew from Amsterdam to Curaçao in seven days, stopping in Marseille, Alicante, Casablanca, Porto Praia, Paramaribo and La Guaria. This was KLM's very first transatlantic flight and it was only possible because of the various stopovers, modifications to the aircraft's cabin and the absence of passengers. The purpose of the flight was to station an aircraft in the Antilles. The Snip touched down on Aruba for the first time on 23 December. Scheduled service between Curaçao and Aruba began on 19 January 1935, which was the first flight operated by KLM’s West-Indian Branch (WIB). KLM began operating scheduled direct service between Amsterdam and Aruba on 11 February 1974.

Centenary of aviation on Aruba
Next year marks the 100^th anniversary of the first flight’s arrival on Aruba. Since then, the airline industry has connected Aruba – also known as “One Happy Island” – with the rest of the world and fuelled its local economy, which now revolves largely around tourism. Aruba Airport welcomes around 2.5 million passengers annually and has grown significantly over time.

About the KLM Delftware miniature houses
Since the 1950s, KLM has been presenting Delftware miniature houses filled with Bols Dutch genever to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights. The miniatures are replicas of historic buildings in the Netherlands and abroad and are sought-after collectors' items. Since 1994, KLM has added a new miniature to its collection every year on the anniversary of its founding, 7 October.

This is the second time in KLM's history that a Delftware miniature is based on a building outside the Netherlands. On KLM's 85th anniversary, the airline presented a replica of the distinctive Penha Building in Curaçao.

Evelyn Wever-Croes, prime minister of Aruba: “At Schelpstraat No. 42, there is a house with the year “Año 1929” on the façade. The rear of this house borders on the Noordstraat (now known as John G. Emanstraat). When this house was build in the 1929, its the owners, the Ecury family, could not have guessed that one of the 13 children born there would end up becoming a war hero, far from home. Even before it was restored to its former glory, the Ecury House was always iconic. One always admired it in passing. Everyone knew the house. We, the younger generation, feel a bond with the history of this house, because we know the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original occupants. The Ecury House forms a single entity with the adjacent Cas di Mamachi, which dates from 1911. However, the Ecury House, with its impressive façade and colonnade, is visually dominant. It casts an indelible image on one’s retina.”

Ronella Croes, CEO, Aruba Tourism Authority: “We are immensely proud that KLM has based its latest miniature house on a building on Aruba, more so because the Ecury family home was chosen. Doing so acknowledges the productive relationship we have had with KLM for many decades, as well as our shared history. Thanks in part to KLM, international tourism is thriving here, allowing us to build invaluable relationships. Choosing the Ecury family home as the model for its Delftware miniature house also spotlights our cultural heritage and brings it to the attention of a wider public. We hope this will encourage current and potential travellers to come to Aruba and explore our unique Caribbean culture.”

Joost Meijs, CEO, Queen Beatrix International Airport Aruba: “I couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off next year’s anniversary, celebrating 100 years of aviation on Aruba, than with this gift from KLM; adding an Aruban house to their collection of Delftware miniatures. This miniature marks KLM's 103rd anniversary and is a great prelude to the centenary celebrations in 2023, which will involve the entire community. We are very proud that KLM has chosen the Ecury House, one of Aruba's most cherished heritage sites. It will add an Aruban flavour to KLM's collection of miniature houses, safeguard and promote the importance of our cultural heritage, and help us achieve our cultural aim of sustainable development on the island.”

Anne Witsenburg, Director, Monuments Fund of Aruba: “It has long been the wish of Monuments Fund Aruba that KLM would model one of its miniatures on a building in Aruba. We feel deeply honoured that it has chosen such a fine historic landmark to showcase in this special way. The house has features of many different styles of architecture, including that of the Netherlands. KLM’s 103^rd miniature house highlights the ties within the Kingdom and our shared past. We have studied the history of aviation on Aruba and recognise that it has brought us freedom and economic progress. We are grateful that KLM provides us with a daily physical connection with the Netherlands and that it has made our wish come true.”

Increasing flight frequencies to Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba

Flight frequencies to Curaçao are being increased. KLM currently operates seven scheduled services to this Caribbean island every week with Boeing 747 equipment. An extra weekly flight with an Airbus A330 will be added to the schedule from 15 November for the rest of the winter season. The two flights to St Martin via Curaçao are in addition to this service. Two more weekly flights will also operate from mid December to the end of February 2018. This means there will be 12 flights a week between Amsterdam and Curaçao throughout this period. This is a substantial intensification of the service, reflecting KLM’s firm belief that there will be increased demand to this destination.

The number of roundtrips between Amsterdam, Bonaire and Aruba will also increase. KLM will operate an A330 service seven times a week on this route, instead of the current six, throughout the winter season.

In order to do this, Aruba Happy Flow combines the public process of border control with the private passenger process at the airport. This is unique in the world and has been designed to streamline the passenger process, making it fast and secure.

To read the entire press release (pdf) click here

The Aruba service will be operated with a Boeing 747-400, departing from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol at 09.35 on Mondays and Thursdays. The return flight will depart from Aruba at 15.25 (local time) on Mondays and Thursdays, arriving in Amsterdam at 08.00 the following morning.

“We have seen that customers would like the option of a business class product on flights to and from Aruba. To meet the different demands of our passengers we will operate KLM flights alongside the Martinair service on this route,” explains Peter Hartman, KLM President & CEO.

The flight, number KL0783, will depart from Amsterdam on Mondays and Thursdays at 09:35 hours and will arrive in Aruba at 14.15 hours on the same day. The return flight with the same flight number will depart from Aruba on Mondays and Thursdays at 15:25 hours, arriving in Amsterdam the next day at 08:00 hours.