Demand for air travel is increasing as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in the Netherlands and other EU countries. KLM has responded by expanding capacity on European routes by 10% compared to last year, almost matching the 2019 pre-pandemic level. This amounts to about 16 million seats in total. The Portuguese cities of Porto and Lisbon, with three and four flights a day respectively, are just some of the destinations seeing an increase in KLM flights.

The success of the new destinations of Belgrade, Dubrovnik and Palma de Mallorca, which were added to the KLM route network last year, means they will once again be included in the summer schedule. KLM also expects business travellers to return, which is why frequencies are added to British, German and Polish routes.

Services to Kyiv, St Petersburg and Moscow continue to be suspended. KLM is keeping a close eye on developments in the region.

Intercontinental: frequently to the Caribbean and more often to the USA

KLM has also increased capacity on its intercontinental route network by 17% compared to last year, in response to a rising trend in bookings. This summer, we will operate daily flights to Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, increasing the frequency to Curaçao to twice daily during the summer holiday season. Port of Spain, KLM's new tropical destination in the winter schedule, is included in the summer schedule too, offering customers thrice weekly flights between Amsterdam and the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Since the USA eased travel restrictions in November 2021, demand for flights has grown steadily. KLM capacity to the USA this summer matches that of 2019. The resumption of flights to Salt Lake City and the new addition of Austin to our route network, means we will be operating direct services this summer to 12 destinations in the USA, the highest number ever. Austin, the state capital of Texas, is a flourishing technology hub and home to a large number of technology companies. It is also a thriving student city with a vibrant nightlife, Formula 1 and the major South by Southwest annual festival (SXSW). KLM operates three flights a week to Austin.

We are also seeing more and more countries in Asia opening up to visitors again. Although Covid-19 travel restrictions vary from country to country, summer demand is increasing for such destinations as the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Bali. India too has indicated that it will be easing travel restrictions. KLM will respond by increasing frequencies to Delhi and Mumbai. Asia continues to be a strong and important market for cargo, allowing us to continue to operate lower frequency services to all pre-pandemic destinations.

Travel restrictions continue to apply in China, which means we cannot yet resume our usual network services to China. Due to EU sanctions against Russia, KLM is not operating in Russian airspace. Flight times to and from South Korea, Japan and China are consequently on average two hours longer than usual. Flights to Japan and China are currently making a stopover in Seoul.

Capacity on most routes to South America has been restored to more or less pre-pandemic levels. We are currently operating daily services to Sao Paulo, Panama City and Lima, with a minimum of six flights a week to Quito/Guayaquil, Bogota/Cartagena, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires/Santiago de Chile.

Passengers wanting to fly to Africa this summer can now choose between ten destinations. Capacity has been expanded on many routes, compared to last summer, to meet the growing demand. Zanzibar, which was added to our route network last year, is once again included in the summer schedule. KLM is also operating services to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Accra, Lagos, Kigali, Entebbe, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, and Dar es Salaam.

Intercontinental

In June, KLM expanded its intercontinental network to include Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Paramaribo and Quito. In July, KLM plans to add six additional destinations (Jakarta, Denpasar, Washington, San Francisco, Vancouver, Calgary) and frequency expansions to destinations KLM already offered in June. In total, there are 51 destinations. Approximately half of these destinations are currently only flown for cargo. As soon as authorities relax travel restrictions, KLM will also open these destinations for ticket sales where possible.

More than 3,000 departing flights in July

With the network expansions in July, KLM will once again serve 78 percent of the initially planned number of destinations with more than 3,000 departing flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. As stated above, the number of frequencies amounts to 25 to 30 percent.

Planned European network

This is the planned European network from Amsterdam for the month of July, subject to change:

Aalborg, Aberdeen, Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Basel, Bergen, Berlin Tegel, Bilbao, Billund, Birmingham, Bucharest, Bologna, Bordeaux, Bristol, Budapest, Brussels, Cagliari, Catania, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Florence, Frankfurt, Gdansk, Geneva, Genoa, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Helsinki, Ibiza, Inverness, Istanbul, Kiev, Copenhagen, Krakow, Leeds Bradford, London City, London Heathrow, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Lyon, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Montpellier, Moscow, Milan, Munich, Nuremberg, Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Oporto, Prague, Rome, St. Petersburg, Split, Stavanger, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Toulouse, Trondheim, Valencia, Venice, Warsaw, Vienna, Zagreb, Zurich.

In view of the constantly changing rules and travel restrictions, the KLM schedule will be adjusted accordingly. We advise customers to familiarize themselves with applicable travel restrictions that vary from country to country and person to person and may be subject to change prior to booking.

For an overview of the hygiene measures taken by KLM, see this video: https://youtu.be/1-2OOj9DyPE

KLM's target for May is the resumption of 15% of its flights, compared to the period before the Covid-19 outbreak. A considerable number of the intercontinental flights are currently being operated on a cargo-only basis

Effective 4 May 2020, KLM will resume service – one daily flight, seven days a week – to the following destinations:

Barcelona

Madrid

Rome

Milan

Budapest

Prague

Warsaw

Helsinki

The flights will be operated with Embraer aircraft. The most up-to-date information can be found at KLM.com or in the KLM app.

Compulsory face masks on board

Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, KLM has introduced many measures around screening and hygiene to protect customers and KLM staff, on board and at airports. KLM's policy is based on national (RIVM) and international (WHO, IATA) guidelines, and complies with international law and regulations. In situations where social distancing cannot be guaranteed, the wearing of face masks will be recommended or made compulsory. Some destinations already require face masks to be worn on board flights.

Starting 11 May, and simultaneous with the restoration of the KLM network, masks will be compulsory on board and during boarding. Passengers are responsible for providing their own face masks.

In view of the changing nature of regulations and legislation, until further notice, face masks will remain compulsory until 31 August 2020.

Further details will be published in the course of this week on KLM.com and in passengers' pre-travel and check-in information.

About Graz
Graz, Austria’s second largest city, is known for its historic city centre – Central Europe’s biggest mediaeval city centre. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Graz is an important industrial city, serving as a business hub for the region and home to four universities. Graz is located 200 kilometres southwest of Vienna on the Slovenian border. After Vienna, Graz will become KLM’s second Austrian destination to be served directly from Amsterdam.

About Porto
Located along the Atlantic coast at the Douro river estuary in Northern Portugal, Porto boasts four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. After Lisbon, Porto will become KLM’s second destination in Portugal to be served directly from Amsterdam.

About Malaga
Malaga lies on the Costa del Sol, boasts a relatively mild climate and is therefore a popular tourist destination for Northern Europeans. What’s more, Malaga is an important Mediterranean port for cruises and trade. Malaga will become KLM’s sixth Spanish destination to be served directly from Amsterdam. The other five are Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante.

About Split
The Port of Split lies on a small peninsula jutting out into the Adriatic Sea. Split is the most important city in southern Croatia. The city’s economy relies mostly on tourism, coupled with fishing, wine production and chemicals. Most of the Dalmatian islands off the southern coast are only reachable via the Port of Split.

About Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy.The oldest part of the city lies upon the hill of the historic district of Castello (literally meaning castle), boasting a fantastic view across the Gulf of Cagliari. Most of the city walls are still intact, including the two remaining 11^th-century limestone towers. Other must-see attractions include the Santa Maria Cathedral, the Basilica of San Saturnino and the Roman era amphitheatre.

About Catania
Catania, the second largest city on Sicily, lies on the east coast of the island. The city lies at the foot of Mount Etna, an active volcano located some 30 kilometres to the north. The Baroque city centre of Catania was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. The city also boasts a commercial port. Catania is home to most of the island’s theatres.

Cagliari and Catania will respectively become KLM’s eighth and ninth Italian destinations to be served directly from Amsterdam.

Jet Airways has also entered into a codeshare partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines to provide convenient connections for passengers to and from key destinations across Europe and North America via Amsterdam. The partnership will enable customers to enjoy enhanced connectivity and seamless travel throughout the combined networks of Jet Airways, KLM and Delta.

Highlights of the agreement include:
An extensive European networkUnder the codeshare arrangement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code on KLM’s flights from Amsterdam to 30 cities across Europe including key destinations such as: Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Geneva, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Helsinki, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Prague, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Vienna, and Zurich.

Greater connectivity to North America
Jet Airways will also place its marketing code on KLM and Delta flights to 11 points across USA and Canada, namely: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Newark, Washington, San Francisco, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Vancouver.(*)

Increased travel options to India and beyond
For customers flying on KLM and Delta flights from North America and Europe, both airlines will place their marketing codes on Jet Airways’ flights between Amsterdam and Mumbai and Delhi. The airlines will also place their codes on flights beyond these gateways to key destinations including: Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata, and Amritsar. Subject to government approvals, KLM and Delta will also codeshare on flights to Kathmandu, Nepal and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Customers flying via Mumbai and Delhi will also be able to access Jet Airways’ network of 48 destinations within India as well as destinations in the Indian subcontinent and Asia.

Benefits for Cargo customers
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s position as one of the largest gateways in Europe provides greater options for Jet Airways’ freight customers, thanks to seamless links with sea, rail and road transportation. Jet Airways’ direct daily flights from Amsterdam will benefit exports from the Netherlands including pharmaceuticals,specialized medical equipment, food and horticultural products, by facilitating access to Jet Airways’ network across the vast Indian market.

(*) Certain codeshare routes are pending Government approvals

About Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England and is situated 121 km south-west of London and 31 km north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is noted for its association with the RMS Titanic, the Spitfire and more recently as the home port of a number of the largest cruise ships in the world. Southampton has a large shopping centre and retail park called West Quay, which upon opening was the largest City-Centre shopping complex in Europe.

About Inverness

Inverness (meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, well known for its beautiful natural environment (Loch Ness & Isle of Skye). The Inverness area has been identified as Scotland’s top economic performer. It is home to Scotland’s largest life science business, as well as to big brand names in the food and drink industry, including many globally-renowned whiskey distilleries.

Southampton and Inverness will be the 15^th and 16^th destination in the UK directly served by KLM.

About Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendor. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque and rococo city center. Before and since German reunification in 1990, Dresden was and is a cultural, educational, political and economic center of Germany and Europe.

Dresden will be the 10^th destination in Germany which is directly served by KLM from Amsterdam.

About Genoa

Genoa is the capital of Liguria and the sixth largest city in Italy. Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba ("the Proud one") due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks. Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006. The city's rich cultural history in notably its art, music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and Niccolo Paganini. Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of north-west Italy, is one of the country’s major economic centres. The historical maritime station of Ponte dei Mille is today a technologically advanced cruise terminal, with facilities designed after the world's most modern airports, to ensure fast embarking and disembarking of latest generation ships carrying thousand passengers.

Genoa will be the 7^th destination in Italy which is directly served by KLM from Amsterdam.

About Valencia

Valencia is the capital of the community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. The city is situated on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, fronting the Gulf of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea. Its historic centre is one of the largest in Spain, with approximately 169 hectares; this heritage of ancient monuments, views and cultural attractions makes Valencia one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Major monuments include Valencia Cathedral, the Torres de Serrans, the Torres de Quart, the Llotja de la Seda (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996), and the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences), an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela.

The Port of Valencia is the 5th busiest container port in Europe and the busiest container port at the Mediterranean Sea.

Valencia will be the fourth destination in Spain which is directly served by KLM from Amsterdam.

Schedules new destinations (local time)

Inverness starting May 17

• Departing Amsterdam 09:45 – Arriving in Inverness 10:25
• Departing Inverness 11:00 – Arriving in Amsterdam 13:40
• Type of aircraft: Fokker 70

Southampton starting May 16

• Departing Amsterdam 08:35 – Arriving in Southampton 08:45
• Departing Southampton 09:20 – Arriving in Amsterdam 11:30
• Departing Amsterdam 16:40 – Arriving in Southampton 16:50
• Departing Southampton 17:25 – Arriving in Amsterdam 19:35
• Type of aircraft: Fokker 70

Dresden starting May 16

• Departing Amsterdam 16:15 – Arriving in Dresden 17:40
• Departing Dresden 18:15 – Arriving in Amsterdam 19:45
• Type of aircraft: Fokker 70

Genoa starting April 22

• Departing Amsterdam 10:05 – Arriving in Genoa 11:45
• Departing Genoa 12:20 – Arriving in Amsterdam 14:20
• Type of aircraft: Embraer 190

Valencia starting April 23 only on Saturday and Sunday, as of May 16 daily

• Departing Amsterdam 13:45 – Arriving in Valencia 16:15
• Departing Valencia 17:00 – Arriving in Amsterdam 19:35
• Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-700

The new Economy Comfort zone on European flights offers up to nine centimetres more legroom and back supports that can recline 40% more. What’s more, passengers seated in the Economy Comfort zone can disembark quicker after landing because their seat is located at the front of Economy Class. Passengers in Economy Comfort zone can furthermore benefit from in-seat power.

Fees Economy Comfort Seats in Europe
All passengers traveling in Economy Class may buy an Economy Comfort seat for a nominal fee of € 20 to € 30 one way, depending on the duration of the flight. Flying Blue Elite members benefit from a discount.

How to buy Economy Comfort Seats
Economy Class seats can now be reserved any time before the flight: during online booking, through Manage My Booking, during online check-in and at the self service check-in machines at the airport. This also applies to Economy Comfort seats on European and Intercontinental flights.