The Embraer aircraft also perfectly coincide with KLM’s sustainability policy. Owing to their advanced features, the Embraer jets burn less fuel, which means they emit less CO₂. The fuel consumption of the new E175+ aircraft is an impressive 22% lower than that of the Fokker 70s they replaced.

Europe’s largest Embraer fleet
KLM Cityhopper has the largest Embraer fleet in Europe. Since KLC phased out its last Fokker aircraft, its fleet has consisted entirely of Embraers. KLM currently uses its “E-jets” to operate around 300 short-haul flights a day, mostly to European business destinations. The E190 has 100 seats, while the E175+ has 88 seats.

With the three new arrivals, the fleet will consist of a total of 48 aircraft. In April 2018, KLC will take delivery of the 49^th Embraer, which is the last of the current order.

More environmentally friendly

The Embraer has a large number of technical features that significantly reduce fuel consumption and, with it, CO₂ emissions. Compared to the Fokker 70, the new E175+ burns 22% less fuel.

More eco-benign

The Embraer 175+ has numerous technical features that substantially reduce fuel consumption and, hence, CO₂ emissions. Compared to the Fokker 70, the new E175+ burns 22% less fuel.

Especially for fans
That the very last commercial Fokker flight will depart from London is no coincidence. Soon after the first passenger flights took place on 17 May 1920, two Fokkers joined the KLM fleet as the first passenger aircraft to be owned by KLM: these Fokker IIs bore the registration numbers H-NABC and H-NABD. The first operational flight with a Fokker II was on 30 September 1920 to London. The arrival of the Fokker 70 from London on 28 October will complete the circle.

KLM will be devoting much social media attention to the departing Fokkers in the run up to 28 October.

Modernising the fleet
KLM Cityhopper began replacing its Fokker fleet with the modern E-Jet, Embraer 190 and Embraer 175+ in 2008. These new aircraft are facilitating further expansion of the existing network, higher flight frequencies, and lower costs. This wide-ranging modernisation means KLM Cityhopper can contribute to a more efficient and environmentally friendly operation in which quality and passenger comfort are top priorities.

Foto: Arnoud Raeven

More environmentally friendly
The Embraer 175+ has a large number of technical features that significantly reduce fuel consumption and, with it, CO₂ emissions compared to the Fokker 70. By comparison, the new aircraft consumes up to 22% less fuel.

Right now, there are nine Fokker 70s still in KLM Cityhopper’s fleet. When the Fokker 70 is phased out, the last aircraft of Dutch origin will disappear from Dutch soil. It will bring a special period in aviation history to an end.

KLM Cityhopper announced its fleets renewal programme in 2008. In recent years, the Fokker 50 and 100 have been phased out and replaced by Embraer 175s and 190s. By acquiring this new aircraft type, KLM and KLM Cityhopper can once again contribute to more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly operations. Quality and comfort for passengers are extremely important in that process.

KLM Cityhopper is Europe’s largest regional carrier. Each year, it carries out more than 105,000 flights from Amsterdam Schiphol to sixty-seven European destinations. No later than 2018, KLM Cityhopper’s entire fleet will consist of thirty Embraer 190 and seventeen Embraer 175 aircraft. This will give KLM the single-largest Embraer fleet in Europe.

If you’d like to learn more about the arrival procedure for the new Embraers, take a look at the video clip below.

Fokker
KLM operated its last commercial flight with a Fokker 50 in 2010, and the last Fokker 100s were phased out in 2012.

The Fokker 70 was deployed by 15 airlines worldwide. KLM began flying Fokker 70s in 1996 and is the biggest user of this aircraft type. The average age of our Fokker 70s is almost 20 years, with each aircraft racking up around 38,000 flight hours and a similar number of take-offs and landings for the entire fleet. There are currently 14 Fokker 70s in the KLM fleet.

Embraer
KLM welcomed its first E190 aircraft as early as December 2008, and the first E175 arrived in April this year.

Once the Fokker 70s have been replaced with Embraers, KLM’s fleet will consist of 30 E190s and one E175. A further 16 E175s will join the fleet through 2018, giving KLM the largest Embraer fleet in Europe.

Genoa

Valencia
Valencia is the capital of the province of Valencia and is Spain’s third largest city, after Madrid and Barcelona. The addition of three new Spanish destinations to KLM’s network – Valencia, Ibiza (from 21 May on Saturdays and Sundays and daily from 4 July), and Alicante (daily from 2 July) considerably strengthens KLM’s position in the Spanish market.

Flight schedules
KLM Cityhopper will operate both the Genoa and Valencia services. Flights to Genoa will operate daily until 20 May using E190 equipment. From 21 May, all flights to and from Genoa on Saturdays will be operated with a B737-700. All flights to and from Valencia will be operated using B737-700 equipment.

• The KL1563 departs Amsterdam at 10:05 hours and lands at Genoa at 11:45. Flight KL1564 departs Genoa at 12:20 hours and arrives in Amsterdam at 14:20 hours.
• Flight KL1715 to Valencia departs Amsterdam at 13:45 hours and lands at 16:15 hours. Flight KL1716 departs Valencia at 17:00 hours and arrives in Amsterdam at 19:35 hours. This service will operate only on Saturdays and Sundays from 23 April and daily from 16 May.

Read more about Genoa on our KLM Blog

The biofuel for this series of flights is produced from 100% RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) certified camelina oil and in full compliance with the EU RED standard. The biofuel is produced within the ITAKA (Initiative Towards SustAinable Kerosene for Aviation) project and supplied by Air BP and SkyNRG. The ITAKA consortium was founded by leading companies operating in the airline and fuel industries. Together, they are working on producing and testing sustainable biofuel in the airline industry. In achieving this goal, they receive financial support from the European Commission.

The biofuel flights are partly funded by the partners in the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme: ABN AMRO, Accenture, CBRE Global Investors, FMO, FrieslandCampina, City of Amsterdam, Heineken, Loyens & Loeff, PGGM, Perfetti Van Melle and the Schiphol Group.

KLM’s aim is to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% per passenger in 2020 (compared to 2011 levels) through fleet renewal, using sustainable biofuel and increasing flight efficiency. Because affordable sustainable biofuel is not always available, KLM also aims to stimulate the market for sustainable biofuel. KLM is “best in class” when it comes to fuel efficiency and leads the field with respect to using sustainable biofuel.

KLM’s recent inclusion of the E175 from Embraer in its fleet ties in with the airline’s aim to further reduce CO2 emissions. This aircraft type is significantly more fuel-efficient in comparison with the current Fokker 70 equipment, and is therefore more environmentally friendly. Using 18% less fuel, it also generates an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions.

(*) In the wake of the attacks in Brussels, the first passenger flight will have a sober character.

KLM Cityhopper on course to an all-Embraer fleet.

KLM Cityhopper is Europe’s largest regional carrier. Each year, it carries out more than 100,000 flights from Amsterdam Schiphol to fifty-four European destinations. In 2016, the number will grow to fifty-eight destinations. By replacing the Fokker 70 with the Embraer 175 and the Embraer 190, KLM Cityhopper’s fleet will consist of thirty Embraer 190s, and fifteen Embraer 175s by no later than 2018. As a result, KLM will have the single-largest Embraer fleet in Europe. Air Transport News has hailed KLM Cityhopper as the “Regional Airline of the Year for 2015”.

The sales and seating procedures for Economy Comfort on the KLM Cityhopper fleet are the same as they are on other KLM European flights. Seats in the Economy Comfort zone can be booked at any time before departure and prices start at 10 euros one way depending on the duration of the flight.

KLM Cityhopper, a 100% subsidiary of KLM, is the largest regional carrier in Europe. It performs about 100,000 flights each year with its fleet of Embraer 190 and Fokker 70 aircraft from Schiphol to forty-nine destinations in Europe. By replacing seven Fokkers with six new Embraers, the KLM Cityhopper fleet now consists of twenty-eight Embraer 190s and nineteen Fokker 70 aircraft. It gives KLM Cityhopper the largest fleet of Embraer 190s in Europe.

The Embraer 190 is more fuel-efficient, has lower carbon emissions, and the absence of the middle seat offers greater passenger comfort and more room for carry-on baggage. Moreover, the Embraer flies faster and offers greater capacity than the Fokker 70 in the markets in which KLM Cityhopper operates. The Embraer 190 offers seating for 100 passengers while the Fokker 70 seats 80. The influx of new Embraers will run concurrent with the phase-out of the Fokkers. Nevertheless, KLM will continue to invest in Fokker 70 aircraft and continue to fly them in its network for some years ahead

“This deal is a perfect example of the investments that KLM is making,” says KLM’s CEO Camiel Eurlings. “Not only do these investments make travel more comfortable, they also contribute to a more sustainable operation and greater efficiency, all of which will help us achieve our ambitious aims to reduce noise and carbon emissions.”

“It is a major endorsement for the E-Jets program to see KLM Cityhopper continuing its fleet modernization with additional E190s,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Through its partnership with Air France, the combined group will operate more than 50 aircraft, the largest fleet of E-Jets in Europe. The participation of BOC Aviation was key in the success of this transaction and shows the role such an important lessor plays in the E-Jets program.”

“We are delighted to work with KLM, by helping its subsidiary KLM Cityhopper to support its modernization plan with the E190, a versatile and excellent aircraft,” said Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOC Aviation.

By investing in the new aircraft, KLM continues to strengthen its competitive position, both inside Europe and in the international market making use of European connections. It will also allow KLM to increase its capacity to a number of specific destinations.

The new Embraer is the third aircraft in the KLM and KLM Cityhopper fleet that has the SkyTeam livery. The first of these aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, landed at Schiphol in August 2009, and KLM Engineering & Maintenance later also decorated a Boeing 737-900 with the now familiar grey-blue livery. It has been agreed that all SkyTeam members paint 3% of their fleet in alliance colours.

The new B Pier at Schiphol, KLC’s home base, will allow for more efficient handling and result in greater passenger satisfaction. The jury praised the company’s reorganisation of its technical activities and creation of a KLC Engineering & Maintenance Control Department, which will allow KLC to contract out maintenance activities while retaining supervision of those activities.

KLM Cityhopper Managing Director Boet Kreiken is proud of this recognition by the company’s European colleagues. “We have already heard many positive reactions from passengers about our innovations,” he said. “They have shown special appreciation for the EMBRAER 190s and for the new B Pier. But, it’s great to receive this kind of recognition from our fellow European regional airlines for the changes we’ve made. It’s a real compliment for all the efforts the dedicated professionals within the KLC organisation have made. The ERA award ranks KLC among the top European regional airlines!”

The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) represents 200 European companies in the airline industry. Every year, of the sixty affiliated airlines, three members are chosen from among their ranks that have performed best of all. This year, the jury consisted of experts from the sector including a number of former CEOs of European airlines and independent aviation journalists from a variety of European countries.