The flight to Nairobi with which KLM participated in The Aviation Challenge achieved the lowest CO₂ emissions ever, at 35g CO₂/RTK. This was achieved by flying entirely on SAF (through the mass balance method) and making a number of operational adjustments. This earned KLM a Special Recognition award. KLM also received a Special Recognition award for sharing knowledge with Kenya Airways.

In addition, KLM received an award for the Best Showcase Flight with the video Intern On A Mission, for the inspiring image KLM gave of the flight to Rome with an Airbus 321N.

Finally, KLM Cityhopper (KLC) won the prestigious Pioneer of the Year award for its 100% SAF ticket project, which ran in 2025 on the Amsterdam – London City Airport and Amsterdam – Hamburg routes. KLC temporarily increased the SAF percentage to 100 percent on the two test routes. The additional SAF contribution went entirely towards the purchase of SAF. In this way, KLC investigated passengers' willingness to pay extra for SAF if it is included in the ticket price as standard.

About The Aviation Challenge

More than eighty flights were carried out between September 26 and October 26 as part of The Aviation Challenge. During these flights, airlines tested operational improvements and innovative solutions that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions from aviation. Examples include route optimization, innovative maintenance measures, weight savings, and the use of SAF.

On average, these flights achieved 13.5 percent lower CO2 emissions than the regular operations of the participating airlines and were 12 percent below the sector average. 

KLM recognizes its impact on the environment and climate and understands that there are limits to what our planet can withstand. Action is needed to continue operating within these limits. By testing various innovations during flight operations and on board, KLM is assessing their benefits with the aim of scaling them up and implementing them as standard.

Where in previous years one specific flight was central, this year KLM is opting for a broader approach. The focus is on multiple flights and on sustainable initiatives that have already proven their impact. We are concentrating on refining existing improvements so they can be scaled up and further integrated into daily operations. In addition, during The Aviation Challenge, KLM is not only focusing on a more sustainable operation, but also on the social impact. To that end, KLM is working together with Wings of Support, KLM’s preferred NGO.
 

Key Initiatives 
KLM and KLM Cityhopper are currently testing the following initiatives: 

• AI-based water calculation: KLM is piloting an AI model that accurately predicts the amount of water needed onboard, helping to reduce unnecessary weight and associated emissions.
• Efficient flying tools for pilots: Pilots are testing a tool designed to help them fly as efficiently as possible, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
• Meal pre-selection in World Business Class: Passengers are invited to pre-select their meals, allowing KLM to load only what’s needed and minimize food waste. Passengers are also encouraged to pack light.
• Digital boarding passes: KLM has long advised passengers not to print their boarding passes. Since May 2024, this has resulted in an 84% reduction in printed boarding passes.
• Priority boarding for SAF contributors: Passengers who add an extra contribution for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to their ticket receive priority boarding on the relevant flight.
• Filtered seawater cans: Instead of standard bottled water, KLM is testing how passengers respond to water cans filled with filtered seawater. 

Flights in the Spotlight 
From October 4 to 10, several routes will be under special focus: 

• Amsterdam – Rome, operated with the new Airbus A321neo
• Amsterdam – Nairobi, a long-haul route with significant sustainability potential
• Amsterdam – Kraków and return, operated by KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer E195-E2 

These flights will showcase and further test various existing initiatives, such as lightweight catering equipment and cargo pallets, smarter loading strategies, and electric pushback vehicles. KLM Cityhopper is also testing the reception of filtered seawater cans onboard these flights. 
 

About The Aviation Challenge 
The Aviation Challenge is inspired by the legendary World’s Greatest Air Race of 1934, which saw aircraft racing from London to Melbourne. While the challenge then was distance, today’s challenge is about making aviation more sustainable. SkyTeam invites participating airlines to make tangible impact with regular commercial flights and to share learnings across the industry. 

KLM acknowledges its environmental and climate impact and recognizes the limits of what the planet can sustain. Action is required to operate within these limits. By testing a wide range of innovations both in flight and onboard, KLM evaluates their potential with the goal of scaling successful solutions and embedding them into standard operations. 

About Wings of Support
This independent foundation, run by volunteer KLM employees, provides financial support to local organizations at KLM destinations worldwide, made possible through donations and sponsorships. The foundation helps children achieve a better quality of life through education, shelter, and medical care. In Nairobi, for example, Wings of Support supports the Big Five Center, an organization that offers educational and economic programs to teach children a trade, thereby improving life in the slums in a sustainable way. More information about Wings of Support can be found here.

Reducing the environmental footprint

For years now, KLM Cargo has been working to shrink its environmental footprint, for instance, by reducing waste. The combination of solutions that the Sustainable Business Challenge generates aims to ensure that KLM Cargo’s Amsterdam hub will achieve its waste reduction target of 50% less residual waste by 2030 compared to 2011.

Fly Responsibly

KLM Cargo’s participation in the 2019 Sustainable Business Challenge fits in perfectly with KLM’s Fly Responsibly initiative. Fly Responsibly shows KLM’s commitment to creating a more sustainable future for the airline industry. It includes everything KLM is doing now and in the future to improve the sustainability of its operations. However, only when the entire sector works together can we make real progress. As part of the Fly Responsibly campaign, KLM invites its customers to use its carbon compensation programme and asks companies to compensate for their business travel by taking part in the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme.

KLM Cargo is one of five companies providing business cases for the challenge. The others are ProRail, Waternet, ForFarmers, and ENGIE. Visit the website (in Dutch) to register until 25 October 2019.