Economic impulse for the NetherlandsOver the past 100 years, the Dutch aviation industry has served as an ambassador and figurehead for the Netherlands in the global community. To this day, our industry continues to give a positive impulse to the economy of the Netherlands. The Dutch pioneering spirit has ensured that many hundreds of millions of people worldwide have been brought together, thanks to the efforts of our founding fathers. As Albert Plesman so aptly put it: “The ocean of the air unites all people.”

Impulse for sustainabilityAt the gathering, presentations were give on the development of international civil aviation and the challenges the Dutch aviation industry faces to keep flying in a smart, sustainable and economically viable manner. Major efforts are required to achieve this, both in the short and long term, which will see the sector pursuing innovations in technology, infrastructure and airspace utilisation.

KLM's first commercial flight between London and Amsterdam was carried out on 17 May 1920.

Superb Farewell Fokker book
The Fokker 70 is a striking and unique aircraft, with its characteristic wing profile and typical T-shaped tail. They aircraft will continue to operate elsewhere, because KLM has sold its last Fokkers to airlines in Asia, Africa and South America. Moreover, fans of the Fokker 70 will take delight in the special Farewell Fokker 70 book “Dutch at Heart”. This beautifully illustrated book is available as a limited edition via www.fokker-70.nl.

Fokker monument unveiled
On the morning of Sunday, 29 October, a special KLM-Fokker monument was unveiled at Schiphol-Oost. In the presence of guests and journalists, the monument was unveiled by KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers, former KLM Cityhopper Director Boet Kreiken and Fokker Vice President Frans van der Pol.

The plaque on the monument reads: “This monument was erected in honour of all the hard-working employees of KLM, Fokker and KLM Cityhopper, who worked with these superb Dutch aircraft from 1920 to 2017, flying them across the globe and making aviation history.”

Fleet renewal
Following the phase-out of the Fokker 50, Fokker 100 and now Fokker 70, a new generation of aircraft are operating in KLM service. In 2008, KLM Cityhopper began replacing its Fokker fleet with modern E-Jets – the Embraer E-190 and Embraer E-175+. These new aircraft allow further expansion of our existing network, increase flight frequency (more than 106,000 flights a year) and reduce costs substantially. With this far-reaching modernisation of its fleet, KLM Cityhopper contributes to more efficient and sustainable operations, with improved service standards and greater comfort for passengers.

Anthony Fokker – aviation pioneer
The Fokker Family’s house in Haarlem was located on the Kleine Houtweg (then No. 41, now No. 65). The house is thought to date from 1791. The KLM replica is based on the current house located at Kleine Houtweg No. 65, which was the childhood home of aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer Anthony Fokker. His domain was the attic at the front of the house, on the second floor, which offered a view of the park. During the 1920s, Anthony Fokker became one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, with factories in the Netherlands as well as the United States.

Farewell to KLM’s Fokker fleet
KLM will take leave of its last Fokker aircraft at the end of October 2017. The departure of the last Fokker 70 marks the end of Dutch-made aircraft in the KLM fleet, as well as the end of a historical 97-year partnership between KLM and Fokker.

History of the KLM miniature
KLM has presented Delftware miniatures to its passengers since the 1950s. The houses are replicas of unique buildings in the Netherlands. Since 1994, the collection has kept pace with KLM’s anniversary, with a new miniature being presented on 7 October each year. The miniatures are presented to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights.

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.

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.

Boet Kreiken, managing director of KLM Cityhopper, presented the Fokker 70 (PH KZF) to Sir Frederich Reiher, chairman of Air Niugini’s board.

Phase-out of the Fokker fleet
KLM operated its last flight with a Fokker 50 on 28 March 2010. The Fokker 100 was also phased out of the KLM fleet in 2012.

KLM took its first Fokker 70 into service in 1994. Between 1994 and 1997, a total of 47 Fokker 70s were built, as well as one prototype. The F70 was operated by 15 different carriers worldwide. KLM Cityhopper has the biggest F70 fleet, operating 18 of these aircraft through December 2015. Together, the Fokker 70 and its bigger brother, the F100, have racked up more than 10 million flight hours for KLM.

The average age of the Fokker 70 is almost 20 years, with each aircraft having operated an average of 37,000 flight hours and as many take-offs and landings.

Full Embraer fleet for KLM Cityhopper
KLM Cityhopper is Europe’s largest regional carrier and currently operates more than 100,000 flights a year from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to 54 European destinations. Once all of the Fokker 70s have been phased out in 2018, the KLM Cityhopper fleet will consist of 30 Embraer 190s and 15 Embraer 175s, which means KLM will have Europe’s largest Embraer fleet.

In the reconfigured Fokker 70’s with new slim seats the European Business Class will be reduced to six rows.  For the introduction Economy Comfort on the Embraer 190 fleet only a reconfiguration of current seats is necessary. The introduction of Economy Comfort will decrease the number of European Business Class seats.

Modified Fokker 70 aircraft will be easy to recognize when you enter the aircraft, showing 80 new seats with exclusive design.

The seats will have the following new characteristics:

• Recline of the seatback is possible by operating a recline handle under the seat.
• The light weight seats and the new light weight seatbelts save up to 140kg per aircraft.
• The seat cover design is made of E-leather (eco leather). This fabric is made of leather off-cuts and produced environmentally friendly.
• Co-designed in cooperation with Fokker Services and its partner ACRO and Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.

Both Régional and KLM operate the EMBRAER 190. The aircraft has 100 seats in the KLC configuration. The joint acquisition of this aircraft type by the regional subsidiaries of the AIR FRANCE KLM Group offers significant synergy benefits in terms of purchasing aircraft, engines and components. There are also various other benefits in terms of handling, maintenance and training.

Because the departure of the Fokker 50 is a special milestone in the history of KLM and KLM Cityhopper, we will mark the event with two farewell flights for special guests on Sunday, March 28. One of these flights has been reserved for Stichting Hoogvliegers, a foundation that organises flights for children who are seriously ill or disabled. Since its establishment, this foundation has had close ties with KLM.