The evaluation shows that the early January disruption was caused by a combination of factors. Snowfall began earlier and was heavier than forecast, significantly increasing demand for aircraft de-icing and longer handling times. At the same time, it proved difficult to reduce flight volumes quickly and sufficiently. As a result, decision-making and operational scaling occurred later than needed, leading to a disruption with major impact on passengers and staff.

The report concludes that extreme weather conditions in aviation will always lead to delays and cancellations. At the same time, Schiphol and KLM see opportunities to improve their response. They will therefore work together, where necessary, with other airport stakeholders to implement the report’s recommendations. Further actions and context can be found in the management responses of Schiphol and KLM.

Update January 11, 4:45 PM
At this moment, KLM is not cancelling any flights for tomorrow.

Update January 10, 12:00 PM
KLM will operate all scheduled flights this weekend as planned. All passengers whose flights were canceled in recent days have now been successfully rebooked.

Update January 9, 4:00 PM
At this moment, KLM is not cancelling any flights for tomorrow.

Update January 9, 12:00 PM
We continue to do everything we can today to get our passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible. Since the onset of the extreme winter weather, around 300,000 travelers have been unable to continue their journeys as planned. Most passengers have now been rebooked, and yesterday we transported more than 100,000 people. We expect to assist many travelers again today. For example, we are deploying an extra-large aircraft on the route to Stockholm and are continuing to reroute passengers via other airports to keep as many seats as possible available from Schiphol for rebooking affected travelers. However, due to the ongoing weather conditions, the situation remains uncertain. We kindly ask passengers to closely monitor their email and app notifications for updates.

Update January 8, 9.21 PM
Because weather conditions were relatively favorable today, KLM was able to operate almost all flights: with approximately 675 flights, we are transporting over 100,000 passengers to their destinations today.
Tomorrow, Friday 9 January, bad weather is expected in the evening. Therefore, KLM is proactively cancelling 80 flights to and from Schiphol. For the rest of the day, the outlook currently remains positive.
We are doing our utmost to rebook affected passengers onto the next available flights. By cancelling flights in advance, we provide our passengers with timely clarity and help prevent last-minute cancellations.

Update January 8, 1:15 PM
KLM is deploying larger aircraft on several routes to accommodate more passengers. This morning, we flew to Berlin with a Boeing 777, allowing us to carry 200 additional passengers. Larger aircraft (Boeing 787) are also being deployed today on flights to Rome and Copenhagen.

Update January 8, 10:45 AM
This morning there was a brief power outage at Schiphol, in Terminal 2. It has since been resolved. There are long queues, but KLM is doing everything possible to ensure departing passengers leave on time.

Update January 7, 5:45 PM
The weather forecast for Thursday, January 8, is relatively favorable, allowing KLM to operate nearly all scheduled flights. For the following days, it is not yet clear how many flights can be operated; this will be determined tomorrow based on the latest weather conditions. KLM is doing everything possible to get as many stranded passengers at Schiphol to their destinations. To maximize seat availability, KLM has temporarily suspended ticket sales, is deploying larger aircraft, and will operate an additional flight to London tonight at 6:00 PM.

Update January 7, 3.45 PM

Hundreds of KLM employees are committed to assisting our passengers at Schiphol Airport. Our call center is also working hard to rebook passengers.

Update January 7, 3.15 PM
KLM is operating an extra flight today at 6 p.m. to take passengers to London Heathrow. This flight is for passengers who are stranded at Schiphol and whose final destination is London Heathrow. Later this evening, the aircraft will return from London with passengers whose final destination is Amsterdam. The flight will be operated with a Boeing 787-10, which can accommodate 318 passengers. The passengers concerned have been informed.

Update January 7, 11.30 AM
The queues are progressively getting more manageable. Because KLM canceled 600 flights yesterday, we were able to provide our passengers with clarity in good time. All travelers whose flights have been canceled and who are not yet at Schiphol are asked not to come to the airport.

A team of KLM employees, including crew members and office staff, is present at Schiphol to assist waiting passengers. Waiting passengers are advised to return home or find a hotel until a new flight has been booked. Measures are being taken at Schiphol for travelers who have nowhere to go or who cannot leave the airport because they do not have a visa for the Netherlands.

Update January 7, 10:00 AM
The first supply of de-icing fluid has now arrived. We continue to replenish stock to ensure that the flights we operate can depart safely; today, more than 100,000 liters of de-icing fluid are on their way to Schiphol. Until our supplier is able to resume full deliveries, we are providing maximum support in the logistics required to secure our supply.

Update January 6, 9.00 PM
KLM is now on its way back to the Netherlands with a new supply of de-icing fluid. Communication with our supplier went well today. We will continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming days.

Update January 6, 6:00 PM
Persistent snowfall is expected tomorrow morning, combined with strong winds from the south to southeast.

As a result, KLM has had to cancel 600 flights for Wednesday. By making this decision now, we can provide our passengers with timely clarity and avoid last-minute cancellations that could leave travelers stranded at Schiphol.

Many KLM colleagues, including office staff and crew members, are going the extra mile to assist our passengers at Schiphol.

Update January 6, 4:15 PM
KLM has received reports that passengers are being approached by scammers posing as members of the KLM Customer Support Team. These scammers claim to be processing compensation and direct passengers to external links or applications. In addition, incorrect phone numbers for KLM customer service are circulating online.

We urge passengers to be alert to these phishing attempts. Do not respond to such messages, and do not share any personal or payment information. Always carefully verify the sender, and only contact us through official KLM channels: klm.com or the KLM app.

Update January 6, 2:30 PM
Supply of de-icing fluid at Schiphol under pressure
Since Friday, January 2, KLM has been de-icing aircraft at Schiphol around the clock using de-icing fluid delivered daily.

Due to a combination of extreme weather conditions and delays in supply from the provider, stock levels are running low. The supplier, based in Germany, is currently unable to guarantee timely replenishment. This challenge is currently widespread across Europe. KLM is doing everything possible to secure additional supply, for example, KLM will collect the fluid itself in Germany.

KLM is responsible for de-icing most aircraft at Schiphol. The de-icing team - more than 100 KLM employees - has used approximately 85,000 liters per day over the past few days to clear aircraft.

De-icing is performed with a mixture of heated water and glycol. Every departing aircraft must be completely free of snow and ice before it can safely take off. KLM operates a fleet of 25 de-icing trucks, all of which have been in continuous use since Friday.

Update January 6, 01:15 PM
Due to the winter weather, our operations have been severely disrupted. As a result, we are unable to operate many of our flights. At this time, we are not able to meet the expectations of our passengers, namely taking them to their intended destinations. Normally, when a flight is canceled, passengers are offered an alternative flight within a few hours. However, because the weather conditions have not improved and we can only operate a limited number of flights, some passengers are being offered alternative flights scheduled later in the week. We understand that this raises questions and concerns for our passengers. Our colleagues at the airport and on the phone are doing everything they can to assist everyone, but they are currently overwhelmed with inquiries, which unfortunately means that wait times may be longer than usual. We apologize to all passengers affected by this situation.

Update January 5, 8:30 PM
For tomorrow, Tuesday, January 6, nearly 300 KLM flights to and from Schiphol have been canceled. This number may increase throughout the day. We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on travelers. Safety remains our top priority - both in the air and on the ground.

Update January 5, 8:30 AM
Today, Monday, January 5, 300 KLM-flights to and from Schiphol have been canceled. This number may still increase.

Update January 4, 12.00 AM
124 flights to and from Schiphol have been canceled for Monday, January 5. We are doing our utmost to rebook passengers onto the next flight with available seats. By canceling flights now, we are providing our passengers with clarity in good time and preventing last-minute cancellations.

Update January 3, 2:30 PM
KLM is forced to cancel 295 flights for January 4. We understand this is inconvenient for our customers. We advise them to keep checking the latest flight information. We are working hard to rebook passengers on the next available flight. We anticipate that these weather conditions will continue and that more cancellations will follow.

Update January 3, 9:30 AM
Schiphol is also experiencing disruptions today due to weather conditions: winter weather and an unfavorable wind direction. This has resulted in reduced runway capacity. Other airports in Europe are also dealing with winter weather. Yesterday, KLM had to cancel 114 flights for today. An additional 73 flights have been canceled today. Delays are also expected. We understand this is inconvenient for our customers. We advise them to keep checking the latest flight information. We are working hard to rebook passengers on the next available flight. We anticipate that these weather conditions will persist through the weekend and that more cancellations will follow.

This winter, KLM is adding two new destinations to its network. Starting at the end of November, KLM will operate a weekly flight to Kittilä in Finland, a popular winter destination in Lapland. Barbados is also returning to the network, combined with Georgetown (Guyana); this route will operate three times per week.

There are also destinations that were launched this summer and will now be available for the first time during the winter season. In Europe, this includes Exeter and Ljubljana, both with daily flights from Amsterdam. Intercontinentally, KLM will fly to Hyderabad and to Barbados (combined with Georgetown) for the first time in winter. Starting late February, KLM will also offer direct flights to San Diego. All these intercontinental destinations will be served three times per week.

Extra flights to popular destinations

Between early January and late February, KLM will offer additional flights to Delhi and Panama City (3 extra flights per week to each, totaling 10 flights per week per destination). Starting mid-December, service to Bangkok will increase to 10 flights per week. Flights to Curaçao will go up to 11 times per week.

For the entire winter season, Cape Town will be served 11 times per week for the first time, one more flight than last year. Other destinations with increased frequency include Boston, Miami, Portland, San Francisco, Bangalore, Aruba/Bonaire, São Paulo, Lima, and San José.

In Europe, KLM will continue flying to Ibiza later into the season, now also in November and December. After a short break, this route will return in February and March 2026. During the same periods, there will be extra flights to Southern European destinations such as Naples and Athens, as well as to Bordeaux, Gothenburg, Poznan, Cork, Leeds, and Vienna.

Fleet updates

For intercontinental routes, KLM expects to welcome its final Boeing 787-10 (#15) this winter. In addition, three new Airbus A321neo aircraft will be delivered this winter. These fleet updates will help us operate more sustainably, quietly, and efficiently.

Flight schedule

Flight KL1261 departs every Sunday at 12:20 PM from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and arrives at 4:20 PM local time at Kittilä Airport (KTT). The return flight, KL1262, leaves Kittilä at 5:10 PM local time, reaching Amsterdam at 7:20 PM. The flight duration is approximately 3 hours.

KLM operates this route with a Boeing 737-800.

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

In addition to these new destinations, KLM will make seasonal adjustments to capacity in accordance with market demand and will seek to strengthen and, where possible, expand cooperation with partners. Overall, KLM will increase its network capacity by 2.8% this winter, compared to the winter of 2012-13.

We will also pursue fleet and product developments that are already underway. This winter we will begin replacing our Fokker 70 fleet with six new Embraer 90s, and we will complete the reconfiguration of our new World Business Class aboard our Boeing 747 fleet. Our Boeing 777s are next up for full reconfiguration.

Further expansion of European destination portfolio
Apart from Florence, Italy, KLM will continue operating to Kent (England) and Ålesund (Norway) this winter. These two destinations were added to the network this summer, and KLM has now decided to serve them year-round. In addition, KLM will increase capacity to Aalborg (Denmark), Athens (Greece) and Basel (Switzerland). The latter destination will be serve three daily frequencies from the start of the winter schedule.

This not only strengthens KLM’s European network and connectivity, but also ensures that KLM can offer additional connections to passengers flying on its intercontinental network.

North America – network optimisation
KLM will increase its capacity to existing destinations in North America to anticipate on specific strong winter seasonal demand and to enhance cooperation with its partners. In December and January, KLM will operate nine weekly flights to Mexico City (up from

seven) to meet increasing demand. This will also benefit KLM’s code-sharing partner AeroMéxico, offering a wide array of new connections.

KLM will also increase capacity in Canada. This winter, we will operate six weekly flights to Calgary, supported by the excellent connections of our Canadian partner West Jet.

Central and South America – cooperation as foundation for growth
In addition to Santiago de Chile, KLM will offer service to several other new destinations in cooperation with various partners. The Jamaican cities of Montego Bay and Kingston will be served this winter in cooperation with COPA Airlines. KLM will also intensify cooperation with Brazilian carrier GOL, offering flights to more destinations through Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Furthermore KLM will intensive its cooperation with InselAir to establish better connections to Caribbean destinations through Curacao.

Africa – network stabilisation
In Africa, our partnership with Kenya Airways is key. KLM is constantly striving to optimise this cooperative venture in order to offer an ever-growing network of African destinations. As was the case in summer, KLM will suspend direct service between Amsterdam and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Khartoum (Sudan). These cities will be served by Kenya Airways through Nairobi. 

KLM will, however, increase its own capacity to several African destinations, including Entebbe (Uganda) and Kigali (Rwanda), which will now be served daily.

Asia – growth in Southeast Asia
KLM will continue operating its service to Fukuoka (Japan) which was launched this summer. In addition, KLM has adjusted its Asian network in various ways to better meet market demand and improve its overall product. Flight frequency to Bangkok (Thailand) has, for instance, been increase from seven to 10 weekly services.

KLM will further build on a partnership with Jet Airways of India which was already launched last summer to enhance connectivity between India and Europa. KLM will continue to offer its passengers service to the Indian cities of Madras, Hyderabad and Bangalore through Delhi, to which KLM operates daily service.

Middle East – growth in cooperation with Etihad
In the Middle-East, KLM will this winter also optimise its partnership with Etihad Airways, increasing flight frequency to Etihad’s home base Abu Dhabi. By offering daily service, both partners will consolidate their cooperation. In addition to this capacity increase, KLM will also expand its network in cooperation with Etihad this winter, offering service to the Seychelles, Maldives, Brisbane (Australia), Khartoum (Sudan) and Karachi (Pakistan) via Abu Dhabi.

KLM will also increase capacity to Dubai this winter, offering 11 flights a week to this destination.

Apart from these new destinations, KLM will focus on adjusting capacity to seasonal fluctuations in demand and on strengthening and, where possible, expanding its cooperation with partners.

Europe – Expansion in North-Western Europe
KLM will continue to focus on North-Western Europe, as it did this summer, increasing the number of daily flights to Luxembourg, to Kristiansand and Stavanger in Norway, and Nuremberg in Germany. Furthermore, KLM took over the Lyon-Amsterdam route from Air France in September 2012, while Air France took over the Marseille-Amsterdam route from KLM.

In Eastern Europe, KLM will pursue its successful Joint Venture with Ukraine International, initiated this summer, raising frequency to Kiev from one to two daily flights this winter.

KLM will increase frequency between Amsterdam and Prague from three to four daily flights.

North America – Consolidation With Partners
Together with Delta Air Lines, partner in the Transatlantic Joint Venture, KLM will consolidate its position in the transatlantic market. Owing to fluctuating seasonal demand and soaring fuel prices, KLM will not serve Miami this winter. In addition, service to Dallas-Fort Worth will be suspended until the summer, as was the case last winter.

Capacity between Amsterdam and Atlanta, Delta Air Lines’ largest hub, will increase substantially this winter, with frequency rising from 14 to 19 weekly flights, operated by KLM and Delta. Service to Delta’s other hubs will also be maintained to ensure maximum connectivity with the US market. Minneapolis will be served twice daily, and Detroit thrice daily. Together, KLM and Delta will offer customers a total of 26 flights per week between Amsterdam and New York, with three daily flights to John F. Kennedy Airport and five weekly flights to Newark.

In Western Canada/Alberta, capacity to Calgary will be increased from four to five flights a week. Together with partner WestJet, KLM will gain further access to the entire Canadian market, adding its code to 10 new destinations here, bringing the total from 15 to 25 cities.

Central and South America – Deploying a More Efficient Fleet
On various routes to Central and South America, the MD-11 will be replaced with more fuel-efficient aircraft. The daily service between Amsterdam and Panama will, from the start of the winter schedule, be operated with a Boeing 777 instead of an MD-11.

On flights to and from the Dutch Caribbean, the Airbus A330 will for the first time replace the MD-11, operating alongside the Boeing 747. KLM will operate 13 roundtrips a week to this region, with extra flights before and after the Christmas holidays.

KLM will operate direct, service to Havana this winter three times a week, as was the case this summer.
In South America, KLM will replace its MD-11 with a Boeing 747 on flights between Amsterdam and Paramaribo. In addition to the usual three weekly frequencies, KLM will operate a fourth weekly flight in December and January to meet higher seasonal demand.

The flight frequency to Ecuador will be further increased to five a week, up from three last winter.
The number of weekly frequencies to Rio de Janeiro will be increased to four. In cooperation with Brazilian partner Gol, KLM will offer service to numerous Brazilian and South American destinations via Rio de Janeiro.
Capacity to Lima will be increased by deploying a Boeing 777-300 three times per week – KLM’s largest aircraft type, with 425 seats – on the daily service to the Peruvian capital.

Africa – Balanced Growth With More Destinations
KLM’s African network has grown substantially in the past year. In addition to the new destinations Luanda and Lusaka, KLM will launch service to Harare this winter, serving the Zimbabwean capital thrice weekly, in combination with the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Frequency to other destinations will be adjusted in accordance with fluctuating seasonal demand. One less flight will be operated on the Entebbe-Kigali route this winter, while two extra weekly flights, departing in the afternoon, will be operated to Kilimanjaro, in addition to the daily flights to this destination, which is served in combination with Dar es Salaam.

Depending on market demand, frequency to Cairo will be increased gradually. This winter, KLM will operate four weekly B777-200 flights to the Egyptian capital.

Cooperation with Kenya Airways remains of great importance to KLM’s position in Africa. The twice-daily Kenya Airways/KLM service to Nairobi is an important feeder maintaining the network of secondary destinations in Kenya and East Africa.

KLM will operate daily service to Cape Town as it did last winter.

Middle East – Pursue Existing Strategy
Last summer, KLM made extensive network changes in the Middle East. Frequency to Dammam and Doha was increased from five to six flights a week, while frequency to Dubai was reduced to daily service. KLM will pursue its existing strategy in the region this winter. To meet the relatively high demand in winter, however, frequency to Dubai will be increased from seven to ten weekly flights from December through March.

The structure of the circle service to Abu Dhabi and Bahrein will be altered. As of this winter, KLM will operate direct service between Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi five times a week, with a tail-end leg between Abu Dhabi and Bahrein.

Asia – Capacity Adjusted to Seasonal Demand
This winter, KLM will adjust its Asian network in accordance with seasonal and regional fluctuations in demand.
Frequency to Shanghai will be reduced from 12 to 10 weekly flights. Frequency to Tokyo will also be gradually reduced to seven weekly frequencies in mid-winter, returning to nine in March.

KLM’s partner China Southern Airlines will, in close cooperation with KLM, increase frequency between Amsterdam and Guangzhou to a daily service this winter.

In Southeast Asia, KLM will increase capacity by operating thrice weekly direct service to Kuala Lumpur in the early afternoon, supplementing the daily flights to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta that depart in the evening. That means the Malaysian capital will be served 10 times a week this winter.

The new service schedule for Bangkok and Taipei/Manila, introduced this summer, will be continued this winter. That means both Bangkok and Taipei will be served directly every day, while Manila will be served daily via Taipei.
KLM will increase its flight frequency to Denpasar (Bali) to daily, with an intermediate stop in Singapore.

Fleet
KLM will continue to invest in cleaner, more efficient aircraft to assure customers of optimum service. The medium-range fleet will be adjusted by phasing out the last three Fokker 100s at the start of the winter season. The long-range fleet will welcome a new Boeing 777-300 and the phase-out of the MD-11 will continue.
For further information, please contact KLM Media Relations at +31 (0)20 649 4545.

*expressed in ASK

KLM is continuing the flight schedule structure that was introduced with the last summer season. The connections between European and intercontinental flights have been improved so passengers have more choice. Thanks to this flight schedule structure, called Seven Wave New Balance, KLM is able to expand its South American and Asian destinations. It also provides the flexibility to be able to respond adequately to political and economic developments in North Africa, among others.

Europe: KLM continues to expand flight frequencies
KLM continues to raise its frequencies in Europe which started in the summer. Compared to the previous winter season KLM has added 15 regular flights a day. Eight of these are in Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, in order to enhance the traditionally strong position of KLM in these areas. The Amsterdam-Aalborg route, which was successfully started in the summer, is being continued.

 
KLM is expanding strongly in Switzerland with an extra service to Zürich and Geneva, and by taking over two daily flights to Basel/Mulhouse from CityJet, a subsidiary of Air France. In Germany, KLM is expanding the number of flights to Frankfurt and Berlin. In Eastern Europe KLM is expanding with an extra flight to Prague, by intensifying collaborations with partner companies (Aeroflot, Bulgaria Air, Belavia, Georgian Airways and Olympic Air) and by using bigger aircraft for flights to Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw and Moscow.

 
North America: optimisation of Joint Venture
Together with Delta Air Lines, partner in the transatlantic joint venture, KLM will adapt the capacity to meet the seasonal demand and deal with the industry-wide overcapacity in the transatlantic market. In this context the service to Dallas-Fort Worth will be suspended until the summer.

 
This coming winter season a non-stop flight to Miami, which is an important Florida destination for the Dutch market, will be offered four times a week. For Houston the second daily flight in the full Business Class configuration will be replaced by a KLM Airbus 330-200 service, which means KLM is increasing the connectivity for the Houston market in the Economy Class segment. For Vancouver an Airbus 330-200 is used. In codeshare with its partner WestJet, KLM is offering 12 new destinations in Canada.

 
The major hubs of Delta Air Lines in the United States continue to be served as usual in order to guarantee maximum connectivity with the American market: there are two daily flights to Atlanta, two to Minneapolis and three to Detroit. Together with Delta Air Lines, KLM is offering 26 flights a week to New York, including three a day to John F. Kennedy and five a week to Newark.

 
South America: important growth market
South America is an important growth market for KLM. KLM is strongly increasing its range of flights for both tourists and business travellers, as well as improving its flight schedules.

 
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) have been added to the network as new destinations. There are three direct flights to these metropolises each week, using a Boeing 777-200. This is KLM's return to these destinations after a temporary absence. The capacity to São Paulo is further increased by the use of a Boeing 777-300 on a number of days. In codeshare with partners Gol and Aerolineas Argentinas, a large number of secondary destinations in South America are being offered via São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. In order to reduce the flight time for travellers and increase the efficiency of the operations, flights to and from Quito/Guayaquil will be direct this winter season, without stopovers in Bonaire.

 
Central America: significant increase in capacity
KLM is expanding its capacity in the Caribbean. Havana (Cuba) and Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) have been added as new destinations, which increases the number of destinations in the Caribbean to six. There are a total of three flights a week to Havana, of which two are combined with Punta Cana.

 
Flights to the Dutch Antilles remain as popular as ever. The number of frequencies is therefore being increased: Curacao is changing from seven to nine, Aruba from three to five and Bonaire from six to seven times a week.

KLM is changing to a daily service for Panama. In addition, the onward connections to destinations in Central America in conjunction with partner company Copa Airlines have been further improved by reducing the connection times. This confirms the successful collaboration with Copa Airlines once again.

 
Africa: reinforcing the position
The oil destination in Angola, Luanda, is being added to the KLM network. Luanda will be serviced twice a week with a Boeing 777-200. In addition, KLM is increasing the number of regular flights to Cape Town from five to seven times a week in order to satisfy the seasonal demand.

 
This winter season KLM is maintaining the frequency level in Africa for destinations like Kigali, Entebbe, Lagos, Accra and Johannesburg and, with joint-venture partner Kenya Airways, is offering a large number of secondary destinations via Nairobi.

Because of the unstable political situation in North Africa the capacity to Tripoli and Cairo has been adjusted. KLM will continue to service Cairo on a daily basis with a 737-700. Operations to Tripoli will be resumed as soon as circumstances permit.

 
Middle East: selective expansion
KLM aims to stabilise and selectively expand its network in the Middle East. For example, the number of regular flights to Damman and Doha are being increased from five to six a week and the capacity to Teheran is expanded with the use of a 777-200. For both the tourist and the business market the service to Dubai remains attractive by maintaining a morning and afternoon schedule.

Asia: increasing the market position
This winter KLM is consolidating its strong position in China. In addition to daily flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai (12 times a week), KLM will also fly to Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xiamen three times a week this winter. For Chengdu this means a frequency increase from twice to three times a week compared to the last winter season. A service to Xiamen was started the past summer season and will be continued. KLM partner China Southern Airlines is continuing flights between Amsterdam and Guangzhou (three times a week) this winter in close cooperation with KLM.

For Japan KLM is adapting its capacity to the seasonal demand. KLM has reduced the number of flights to Tokyo from 10 to 7 a week, while an extra service has been added to Osaka. As a result KLM can offer a daily flight to both destinations.

In Southeast Asia KLM is increasing services to its successful destination Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia) from four to five times a week, with a stopover in Singapore. 

In conjunction with Delta Air Lines the capacity to Mumbai (India) will be increased this winter season with the use of an Airbus 330-300.

 
Fleet
KLM continues to invest in clean and efficient aircraft in order to guarantee its customers optimal service. After this winter the complete medium-distance fleet will consist of a new generation of Boeing 737 aircraft. Two new Airbus 330-300s will be added to the long-haul fleet. 

As a result of recovery in demand, KLM will increase capacity on the North Atlantic routes by 8%. Together with KLM’s North Atlantic Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, 20 destinations will be offered with a nonstop service. The significant growth is generated partly by an increasing number of services and partly by deploying larger aircraft. On the Amsterdam-Atlanta route, KLM and Delta will grow by almost 50% in seats; KLM will increase its services from five times per week to a daily service and Delta Air Lines will deploy a daily Airbus 330-300 service on this route. As a result, many destinations beyond both hubs will be well connected by this service, which operates twice a day.

San Francisco and Mexico City will be served daily, increasing from six weekly frequencies and KLM will allocate 4% more seats to Toronto. The third daily service to New York (JFK), as currently being operated by Delta Air Lines, will be continued during the coming winter season. Portland, Oregon, will be served with an additional frequency to a total of five times per week.

Continued focus on the strategic growth area, Asia

Asia remains one of KLM’s important growth markets. During recent years, KLM has offered its clients a continuously growing range of destinations. During the last two seasons, Hangzhou (China) and Denpasar (Indonesia) were added to KLM’s intercontinental network at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The three weekly direct services to Hangzhou, as well as the four weekly tail-end operations to Denpasar will be continued throughout the winter 2010– 2011 season. KLM will upgrade the daily service to Delhi by deploying its newest long-haul aircraft Boeing 777-300. Furthermore, frequency expansions have been introduced to Seoul from five to six weekly frequencies. During winter 2010–2011, KLM will continue to invest in this strategically important market.

KLM will further strengthen its position in Japan by adding three weekly flights to Tokyo Narita from November onwards, bringing the total to ten weekly services. In doing so, KLM takes a historic step in the enhancement of the long-lasting relationship between Japan and The Netherlands, meeting the strong demand of Japanese companies situated in The Netherlands.

Stabilizing network in the Middle East

For the Middle East, KLM aims to maintain and stabilise its network, while selectively growing to Teheran, five to six weekly flights, and Dubai twelve to thirteen weekly flights.

Strengthening a consistent product and expanding portfolio in Africa

KLM will increase its portfolio in Africa with the start-up of Kigali (Rwanda) as tail-end operation behind Entebbe (Uganda). The frequency level will be increased from a four weekly Entebbe operation in the previous winter season to a five times per week combined Entebbe-Kigali service in winter 2010, to accommodate for additional traffic from the fast growing East African region. Furthermore, KLM will maintain its position in Africa through continuing its frequencies to all its African destinations, amongst others Cape Town, Johannesburg, Cairo, Lagos and Accra. During this winter, KLM will also continue its twice-daily service to Nairobi in cooperation with its partner Kenya Airways, therewith offering multiple connections to a wide range of destinations in Africa, including new KQ destinations such as Luanda (Angola) and Juba (Sudan).

Focus on growing Latin American markets and maintaining the position in the Dutch Antilles

In response to rapidly growing Latin American markets, KLM will increase the number of services to São Paulo during the winter season, by reinstating the seventh weekly frequency. This results in a year-round daily product to the largest market of South America. In addition, seat capacity will be increased to São Paulo, as soon as KLM’s fifth B777-300 is introduced in its long-haul fleet, in March 2011. Furthermore, from the start of winter 2010, KLM will increase the number of frequencies to Panama City (five to six weekly). By doing so, KLM will further build on the successful cooperation with Copa Airlines, at the same time resulting in improved connectivity for KLM’s passengers to multiple destinations in Central America.

Current summer 2010 frequency levels to the Dutch Antilles will be maintained, which include the twice weekly Aruba-Curuçao services that were successfully re-introduced at the end of the previous winter season.

In Europe, KLM will add capacity on well recovering destinations

Major destinations like Manchester, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Helsinki and Moscow have an increase in the number of seats. Destinations closer to home, in Germany (Cologne, Dusseldorf, Bremen and Hanover) and the Benelux (Brussels and Luxemburg) benefit from the phase out of the Fokker 50 turboprop and now enjoy a full-jet product. KLM will start its own operation to Budapest, and the cooperation with Malev Airlines will be terminated. KLM, together with partner Rossiya Airlines, will offer twelve flights per week to St Petersburg, compared to nine the previous winter. This summer, the number of weekly flights to Liverpool increased from three to four, which will be continued this winter. Together with partner Alitalia, KLM now offers four flights a day to Linate airport, located near the centre of Milan. Also, KLM will add Belgrade to its European network through a codeshare with partner airline JAT Airways.

Fleet renewal

KLM continues to renew its fleet. The present generation of Boeing 737 aircraft will continue to be phased out from the medium-haul fleet and Boeing 737 next generation aircraft will be introduced. An additional Airbus 330-200 will be added to the long-haul fleet, bringing the total to eleven.