KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has marked the 100th day before its 100th anniversary on 7 October this year with a festive event at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where it announced its intention to join hands for the future aviation.
In an open letter, widely published, KLM invited all industry stakeholders to join hands in pursuit of a more sustainable future for aviation, under the banner “Fly Responsibly”.
On 7 October, KLM will become the world’s first airline still operating under its original name to mark its 100th anniversary. KLM has reached this auspicious milestone because it is committed to seizing opportunities, accepting challenges, connecting with partners and embracing new technology.
This special moment 100 days before KLM 100th anniversary was planned to coincide with the arrival of KLM’s first Boeing 787-10 dreamliner. While having already 13 B787-9 dreamliners in operation, KLM now starts adding B787-10’s, growing to a total of 28 dreamliners. The fleet renewal program is an important element to achieve the ambitious sustainability targets.
The arrival of this aircraft from the Boeing factory in the USA is facing some small delays. It’s expected though to arrive in the next few days. The delivery process sometimes runs into minor issues or other small holdups which is the case now.
President & CEO of KLM Pieter Elbers said: “Over the past hundred years, KLM’s entrepreneurial spirit and quest for innovation have played a pioneering role in the aviation industry. Our centenary is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our ambition: to become the most customer-centric, innovative, and efficient European network carrier with a deep-rooted determination to address the challenges that lie ahead. Starting today, we will reach out and share our best practices and tools, all we have learned about sustainability, with all our competitors. We value competition, but not when it comes to the sustainable development of aviation. Starting today, we will offer all airlines our CO2ZERO carbon compensation programme free of charge and free of KLM branding. And in return, we invite others to join us and share their best practices for the benefit of a more sustainable future.”
At the event Dutch Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management commented: “The success of KLM is the success of the Netherlands. With a wide-ranging network and a large number of destinations, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is of great importance for our accessibility, our business climate, employment opportunities, and the position of Schiphol Airport.”
The aviation industry accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the man-made CO2 emissions in the world. Due to growing population, trade and wealth, this percentage may increase in the future. For the last 14 years already, the Air France-KLM Group has secured a top-3 position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In its pursuit to maintain this position, KLM has taken measures in the field of fleet renewal, development of its own carbon-offsetting scheme and more recently expressed its commitment to the development of the first sustainable aviation fuel plant and an innovative flight concept called the Flying-V . In 2018, all these measures resulted in a relative reduction of 17% in CO2-emissions per passenger compared to 2011.
