Team NL won a total 19 medals in Rio de Janeiro: eight gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals. Following the reception, the Olympians travelled to the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre in Amsterdam where the official welcome-home ceremony took place.

#Oranjeboven – Orange on High – KLM’s orange Boeing 777
On 14 June, KLM introduced its first and only orange Boeing 777. The airline uses the aircraft wherever possible during events to help promote the Netherlands.

So, KLM will operate the aircraft on 23 August for the medallists’ flight from Rio de Janeiro to Amsterdam with Captain Leo Visser — former Olympic skating medallist and pilot — at the helm. Lisa Westerhof is an Olympic sailor and KLM pilot as well. She will serve as ramp marshal for the flight once it touches down on Dutch soil.

On 4 July of this year, KLM replaced its miniature MD-11 aircraft with a miniature Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Madurodam. In 2014, KLM said goodbye to the last MD‑11 in its fleet and started phasing in its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

If you would like to have a copy of the orange KLM miniature aircraft, you can order one via this link. 

KLM will deploy the orange Boeing 777 on routine flights within the network and, whenever possible, during events that offer opportunities to promote the Netherlands. The aircraft will debut this summer and will be in operation on the Rio de Janeiro-Amsterdam route during the Olympic Games. On 22 August, KLM will use its orange Boeing to operate the “Medal Flight” that brings the Dutch Olympic heroes home.

Painting procedure
335 litres of paint were used to spray the aircraft orange fading into KLM’s distinctive blue. Applying the colours in multiple, thin layers, requires less paint and the sustainable, chromate-free paint can be easily washed off. The colours of the Dutch flag have been incorporated in the transition between orange and blue, completing the aircraft’s Dutch image. It took a team of 35 people four days to spray on the orange livery.

More about the KLM Boeing 777-300
The KLM version of the Boeing 777-300 has a completely revamped interior, with full-flat seats in World Business Class and more legroom in Economy Class, ensuring greater comfort for passengers. In addition, the inflight entertainment system has been fully renewed and adapted throughout the cabin. By the end of this year, KLM will have replaced more than 80% of its intercontinental aircraft cabin interiors.

Please read also our KLM Blog "From Blue to Orange in 4 Days"