KLM's direct flights to Sint Maarten were suspended in 2017 due to hurricane Irma. Flights to Sint Maarten were then combined with the Amsterdam-Curaçao service. However, from 27 October 2019, KLM will once more operate a direct service from Schiphol to this Caribbean island. The twice weekly flights, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will be operated with an Airbus A330. From 14 January 2020 a third frequency will be added.

• KL0729 departs Tuesdays at 11:20 CET from Schiphol and arrives 15:35 local time on Sint Maarten. On Thursdays it departs from Schiphol at 11:45 hours CET and arrives at 16:00 hours local time on Sint Maarten.
   
• KL0730 departs Tuesdays at 18:15 hours local time from Sint Maarten and arrives at Schiphol the next day at 07:50 hours CET.

Guanacaste Liberia is on the Pacific coast of northwest Costa Rica. From 29 October, KLM will operate flights four times a week from Amsterdam to Guanacaste Liberia in a Boeing 787-9. On the outbound journey the service will include a stopover at San José, the capital of Costa Rica.

• KL0717/0719 departs Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at 12:35 hours CET from Schiphol, arriving at San José at 17:15 hours local time. The flight continues on at 19:15 hours local time to Guanacaste Liberia, where it arrives at 20:10 hours local time.
   
• KL0717/0719 departs 21:15 hours local time from Guanacaste Liberia and arrives at Schiphol the next day at 14:20 hours CET.

Bangalore is in southern India and is famous for its many technology companies. From 30 October, KLM will operate flights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between Schiphol and Bangalore in a Boeing 787-9. The flight schedule is as follows:

• KL0879 departs Schiphol 11:05 hours CET and arrives the next day at Bangalore, Kempegowda International Airport at 00:50 hours local time.

• KL0880 departs Bangalore at 02:45 hours local time and arrives at Schiphol at 08:25 hours CET the next day.

Limited capacity at Schiphol

KLM is able to offer three new destinations, despite the limited capacity at Schiphol, by optimising its network. We constantly monitor whether the type of aircraft and frequencies for a certain route match market demand and the route's results. This can mean that routes are sometimes suspended sooner than usual due to slot restrictions at Schiphol, as is the case with Colombo, Sri Lanka, this winter.

Air France-KLM winter schedule

For information about the Air France-KLM group capacity increase and new routes, please read this press release: https://www.airfranceklm.com/en/2019-2020-winter-schedule-25-increase-capacity

Twenty-three years of faithful service
Madurodam had removed the aircraft from its runway in 2016 after the MD-11 was removed from KLM’s fleet. But, despite almost twenty-three years of faithful service at the world’s smallest airport, the aircraft has remained in perfect condition thanks in part to two maintenance checks, which the aircraft underwent every fifteen years, amounting to another two hundred man-hours, to restore it from the effects of the weather.

A fine example of craftsmanship
At Madurodam, we do everything we can to create the most realistic image for our visitors. Our workshop always works according to official blueprints and builds objects accurately, down to the last millimetre – just twenty-five times smaller. So, the windows and the logo are placed in exactly the right places on the MD-11. “Scaling down the aircraft presented a considerable challenge: the aircraft’s round shapes made it difficult to gain good reference points. However, through the years, we have heard nothing but compliments from the experts about just how true to form the aircraft was built,” says Joris van Dijk, Madurodam’s director.

To ensure that it shines for its new owner, the aircraft paid one last speedy visit to the workshop. The aircraft received a new set of stickers and got a new layer of varnish. “This is a showpiece,” Van Dijk said. “The auction is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an enthusiast to take possession of this aircraft.”

One-off
Not only is the craftsmanship unique, but so is the nature of the auction. “It is our policy that models never leave Madurodam,” Van Dijk asserts. “If a model can’t be rebuilt, we will build it again – using modern technology, of course. And, if real buildings undergo any changes, we see to it that the models change along with them. Now that KLM is modernising its fleet, we’re doing that at Madurodam as well.” The removal of the MD-11 for the auction will not cause any problems for Madurodam’s fleet. It already has a brand-new KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner at its airport terminal.

Joint effort
The move to offer the MD-11 up for auction on 1 October was a joint initiative on the part of KLM and Madurodam.

International interest
Expectations for this particular object during the auction are high. Both KLM and Madurodam hope that the aircraft will go for the highest possible price. Due to the uniqueness of the object and the expected international attention, Troostwijk Auctions has volunteered its services, ensuring that potential buyers can make their bids during the benefit lunch in the Hotel Okura Amsterdam and online simultaneously. Buyers can start their bids for this and all other objects online at https://www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/hotel-okura-auction/01-25302/ from 27 September.

For more information see www.Madurodam.nl and www.SintMaartenChefsTable.nl

Madurodam The Netherlands at its greatest
Madurodam was founded in 1952 as a living memorial to the war hero George Maduro and as a way to raise funds for charities. It aims to inspire visitors with great stories about the Netherlands. With its miniatures, things to do, and indoor attractions at the greatest tourist site in The Hague, visitors discover what makes a small country so great. Madurodam tells the true stories of Dutch heroes and their highlights – stories about the fight for freedom and heroic deeds. In this way, the theme park connects the past and the present – and invests in the future. Each year, Madurodam donates its revenues to charities that help children to build their self-confidence, empathy, and courage.

Thirty-nine Michelin stars
On the afternoon of Sunday 1 October, no fewer than thirty-two chefs (holding a total of thirty-nine Michelin stars) will go into action at the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam to contribute to the reconstruction of Sint Maarten following the devastation of hurricane Irma. The revenues from this unique lunch for this, the largest Michelin Chef’s Table in the Netherlands, will go entirely to the Red Cross. Participating restaurants will include De Librije, De Lindenhof, Ciel Bleu, Bord’Eau, ’t Nonnetje, Bridges, Vermeer, and De Nederlanden. What’s more, the Netherlands’ first three-star chef, Cees Helder, has agreed to take part.

Sint Maarten Chef’s Table
The gastronomic world of the Netherlands is joining hands to create this unique lunch under the name of the Sint Maarten Chef’s Table. Hotel Okura Amsterdam’s Grand Ballroom will accommodate an enormous kitchen where thirty-two chef’s tables will stand. Each Chef’s Table of ten people will have a five-course dinner, including aperitif, matching wines, water, and coffee. What is extra special is that each table will be served by a different chef for each course. In addition to the culinary delights, there will be a varied assortment of entertainment, there will be a raffle, and three exclusive pieces will go up for auction.

Initiative
The initiative for the Sint Maarten Chef’s Table benefit lunch comes from the top of the Dutch culinary world. Many of the chefs have cooked during the past ten editions of the gastronomic event Fête de la Cuisine on Sint Maarten and, in so doing, have come to know the island, its inhabitants, and their colleagues overseas. When the idea for the benefit lunch came about, chefs from all over the country poured in to offer their services.

Increasing flight frequencies to Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba

Flight frequencies to Curaçao are being increased. KLM currently operates seven scheduled services to this Caribbean island every week with Boeing 747 equipment. An extra weekly flight with an Airbus A330 will be added to the schedule from 15 November for the rest of the winter season. The two flights to St Martin via Curaçao are in addition to this service. Two more weekly flights will also operate from mid December to the end of February 2018. This means there will be 12 flights a week between Amsterdam and Curaçao throughout this period. This is a substantial intensification of the service, reflecting KLM’s firm belief that there will be increased demand to this destination.

The number of roundtrips between Amsterdam, Bonaire and Aruba will also increase. KLM will operate an A330 service seven times a week on this route, instead of the current six, throughout the winter season.

Depending on developments over the next few days, KLM will if necessary deploy additional extra flights to Curaçao as long as the airport on Sint Maarten remains closed for commercial passenger flights.