Warner Rootliep, Managing Director KLM Cityhopper: “Not only is the 195-E2 an economically attractive aircraft, it also fits perfectly within our Fly Responsibly sustainability approach. This will enable KLM to make its own operations and the sector as a whole more sustainable. Now, more than ever before, we’re committed to reducing the impact we have on our surroundings and our ecological footprint. At present, fleet renewal makes the biggest contribution towards reducing CO₂ emissions.”

Europe’s biggest Embraer fleet

The new aircraft will be taken into operation on 1 March, operating its first flight to Warsaw. Before commencement of the summer schedule, KLM Cityhopper will take four new 195-E2s into operation.

“We’re incredibly proud that with KLC, we’ve been able to make such a huge contribution towards developing KLM’s European network in recent years. The more efficient, sustainable and comfortable 195-E2 serves to strengthen our competitive position,” adds Warner.

As of today, KLM Cityhopper’s fleet consists of 50 aircraft. This makes KLM’s Embraer fleet the biggest in Europe. Another six aircraft will follow this year, with the remaining 18 being delivered in the years ahead. KLM also has an option on a further 10 195-E2s.

Touch down Schiphol

(Images: © Embraer)

Better customer experience

The new aircraft will be equipped with new Recaro seats, which are ergonomically designed and leave space for more legroom. They are lighter than the current seats. This is beneficial for fuel consumption and will reduce CO₂ emissions. The Business Class seats have adjustable back and headrests. All seats will have a USB port and there will be Wi-Fi on board. The Recaro seats are already in use aboard KLM’s newest Boeing 737s. The cabin has atmospheric lighting and the newly designed overhead compartments offer more space for carry-on baggage. By adding a third cabin attendant aboard these flights, KLM expects to optimise the travel experience for its customers.

Sustainability

Although the new Embraers offer greater capacity, they are more sustainable and silent than their predecessors. The E195-E2 burns 9% less fuel per flight and emits 31% less CO₂ per passenger than the E190. The Embraer 195-E2 is also 48% more silent than the Embraer 190. The replacement of older aircraft with newer types is in line with KLM’s initiative Fly Responsibly.

Fly Responsibly

With Fly Responsibly, KLM has committed itself to creating a more sustainable future for the airline industry. Fly Responsibly encompasses all efforts KLM is undertaking and intends to undertake to improve the sustainability of its operations. However, true progress can only be achieved if the whole industry cooperates. With Fly Responsibly, KLM therefore invites customers and others to make use of available CO₂ compensation schemes and urges businesses to compensate for staff air travel via the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme.

More information can be found here.

Do you want to know more about the pick-up of a new Embraer? Take a look at our vlogs about the test flights and the ferry flight back to the Netherlands.

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.

The Embraer aircraft also support KLM’s customer focus. The new aircraft offer greater comfort and more space for passengers, therefore helping to create memorable journeys.

KLM Cityhopper currently operates the biggest Embraer fleet in Europe. By mid-2018, the overall KLC fleet will consist of no less than 49 aircraft produced by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. Delivery of the 46^th Embraer is expected in March.

KLM Cityhopper currently operates the biggest Embraer fleet in Europe. By mid-2018, the overall KLC fleet will consist of no less than 49 aircraft produced by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. The 44^th and 45^th Embraer aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of February.

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.

The transaction for the first three aircraft is scheduled to be closed in the coming weeks.

Background information:

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. In 2016 alone, the Bank made available EUR 2.56 bln in loans for projects with Dutch counterparts in various sectors, including SMEs, industry, transport and agriculture.

Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It is part of the Air France–KLM group, and is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. KLM was founded in 1919 and it is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 147 destinations.

Crédit Agricole CIB is the Corporate and Investment Banking arm of the Crédit Agricole Group, the world’s n°11 bank measured by Tier One Capital (The Banker, July 2016). The Bank offers its clients a comprehensive range of products and services in capital markets, investment banking, structured finance and corporate banking, structured around six major divisions: Client Coverage & International Network, International Trade & Transaction Banking, Global Investment Banking, Structured Finance, Global Markets, and Debt Optimisation & Distribution. The Bank provides support to clients in large international markets through its network with a presence in major countries in Europe, America, Asia Pacific and Middle East and North Africa. For more information, please visit its website at www.ca-cib.com

Perscontacten:

EIB: Tim Smit, +352 691 286423, t.smit@eib.org

KLM: Koen van Zijl, +31 6 204 17 895, koen-van.zijl@klm.com

Credit Agricole CIB: Louise Tingstrom +44 7899066995, louise.tingstrom@bladonmore.com

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

All of KLM’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners are named after flowers or blooming plants, including the Sunflower, Carnation, Bougainville, Dalia, Hibiscus and Mimosa. KLM’s eighth new Dreamliner is expected to arrive in late September.

Embraer 175
KLM will take delivery of its third Embraer 175 this evening. The fourth Embraer 175 is expected to
arrive at Schiphol in October. KLM will expand its fleet with a total of 15 Embraer 175s through 2018.

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

KLM crews can fly both the E190 and the E175 because the aircraft employ identical cockpits and call for the same procedures. The aircraft has the same configuration as the E190, the only difference being that the E175 has eighty-eight seats compared to one hundred in the E190.

The E175 is considerably more fuel efficient compared to the Fokker 70, thereby making it more environmentally friendly. It is 18% more fuel efficient so it produces 18% fewer carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, the E175 fits perfectly in line with KLM’s aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% in 2020.

The first commercial flight will depart on 27 March, flying from Schiphol to Stavanger. Subsequent destinations will include Brussels, Ålesund, Torp Sandefjord, Turin, and Manchester. Ultimately, the E175 will fly to all the European destinations that KLM Cityhopper operates for KLM.

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”.

Embraer 190 in KLM Fleet
The first Embraer 190 joined KLM at the beginning of 2008 at the airline’s subsidiary KLM Cityhopper.  This aircraft type seats 100 passengers and is highly fuel efficient. The two-seat configuration and leather upholstery also make the Embraer 190 extremely comfortable. The Embraer 190 has a two-class configuration and operates on 35 of KLM Cityhopper’s 53 European routes. The Fokker 70 is deployed for the remaining 18 destinations.

The latest Embraer 190 is part of KLM’s ongoing fleet-renewal programme. The replacement of seven Fokker 70s with six new Embraers brings the total fleet in 2014 to 28 Embraer 190 and 19 Fokker 70 aircraft.

Please check Twitter and Instagram at 17:00 (UCT+01) for a unique picture of the modified livery.

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.