The improvement in operational results is progressing well. Thanks to the measures taken, we were able to make better use of the available flight capacity. There were significantly fewer cancellations and delays than in the first quarter of last year. An agreement was reached with the Pilots' Association for increased deployment of pilots until April 2026.  

Additionally, in the first quarter, KLM expanded its fleet with three new Airbus A321neo aircraft, launched the first flights to new destinations Ljubljana and Exeter, and began construction of a modern training center for KLM Group pilots.  

Transavia faced a challenging first quarter. Although revenue increased, costs rose faster than in the first quarter of last year. The business units Cargo, Engineering & Maintenance, and Passenger Services performed as expected. 

KLM received its last contribution of €140 million under the emergency job-retention scheme (NOW) in the first quarter (previous year: €321 million), which contributed to the positive results.

Only €942 million was withdrawn from the loan package of €3.4 billion in 2020. And, as was also the case for 2021 as a whole, nothing was withdrawn in the first quarter of 2022. The repayment in the second quarter is €311 million, which reduces the outstanding debt of this loan package from €942 million to €631 million. If recovery continues, KLM may make further repayments later this year.

Improvements in all business areas

The first quarter of this fiscal year showed a mixed picture. Our customers are keen to travel again and are now able to, and this is reflected in the results. In total, we welcomed 4.8 million passengers on board, compared to 1.4 million in the first quarter of 2021. The upward trend in bookings continued despite the conflict in Ukraine and the closure of Russian airspace, forcing flights to and from South Korea, China and Japan to make a detour.

Once again, Cargo performance was excellent in the first quarter. Transavia also performed well, benefiting from the further relaxation of entry restrictions affecting holiday destinations. Engineering & Maintenance (E&M) showed a strong improvement in first-quarter turnover.

At the same time, key markets in Asia are still closed to international travellers. Additionally, the global airline industry is facing rising costs and scarcity in the labour market, which are putting pressure on operations. This also applies to KLM.

Operation under pressure despite commitment of KLM staff

Operations were already under pressure in the first quarter of 2022 due to numerous operational changes and scarcity in the labour market. This did not lead to any major disruptions. However, with steadily increasing passenger numbers and the situation at Schiphol in terms of capacity shortages in many places, the past few weeks have been very difficult for operations. Many thanks for all the efforts of KLM colleagues and sincere apologies to our customers who were inconvenienced.

Traditionally, the third quarter is especially strong in the air transport industry, but KLM has now incurred a loss of EUR 234 million for the quarter, down EUR 745 million compared to Q3 last year. The result incurred during the first nine months of 2020 has deteriorated by 1,7 billion compared to 2019.

There were cautious signs of recovery in July and August, with an increase in bookings for KLM’s European flights. Regrettably, KLM was forced to respond to changing travel warnings for many European countries in September, downscaling its European network for the winter season, which will result in a further decline in revenues.

A wide array of measures have already been taken to downsize KLM operations in line with the sharp decline in demand and flights. By the end of the year, the KLM Group will have bid farewell to around 5,000 employees (-15%). In view of recent developments prompted by the second wave of the pandemic and the sombre outlook, further rightsizing of the organisation will be considered.