KLM expands service to China

Amstelveen - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today marked the start of the summer schedule, operating its first flight to Xiamen International Airport in China. KLM is the first airline to operate a direct service between Xiamen and Europe.

“With this seventh destination in China, KLM strengthens its position in this important market. KLM is the leading operator of flights between Europe and Greater China. The KLM network thus ensures even better connections between mainport Schiphol and China, generating new job opportunities and business establishment potential for the Netherlands,” said KLM President & CEO Peter Hartman.

The new scheduled service brings the frequency of weekly flights from Amsterdam to Greater China on a total of 73. KLM offers together with partner China Southern Airlines a total of 53 weekly services to China. The flights to Xiamen will be operated three times a week. Flight KL883 to Xiamen departs from Schiphol on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with flight KL884 departing from Xiamen on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Amsterdam the same day.

The flights are operated using Boeing 777-200ER equipment, with room for 318 passengers; 35 in World Business Class and 283 in Economy Class.

KLM’s SkyTeam-partner China Southern Airlines offers connecting flights from Xiamen to numerous destinations in China.

About KLM

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919, making it the world’s oldest airline operating under its original name. In 2004, Air France and KLM merged to form AIR FRANCE KLM. The merger produced the strongest European airline group based on two powerful brand names and hubs – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle. The two airlines collaborate on three core activities while maintaining their own identities – passenger transport, cargo transport, and aircraft maintenance.

In the Netherlands, KLM comprises the core of the KLM Group which further includes KLM cityhopper, transavia.com en Martinair. KLM serves 130 destinations using a modern fleet of 158 aircraft and employs over 33,000 people around the world. KLM is a leader in the airline industry, which offers reliable operations and customer-oriented products resulting from its policy of enthusiasm and sustainable innovation.

KLM is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airline alliance with 13 members providing access to an extensive global network with over 12,500 daily flights to 898 destinations in 169 countries. KLM participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France, Delta and Alitalia. With nearly 250 daily trans-Atlantic flights and a fleet of 144 aircraft, the joint venture between AIR FRANCE-KLM, Alitalia and Delta Air Lines provides customers with the benefits of a vast route network offering more frequencies, competitive fares and harmonized services on all trans-Atlantic flights. The JV network is structured around seven main hubs: Amsterdam, Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York-JFK, Paris-CDG and Rome Fiumicino, together with Cincinnati, Lyon, Milan, Memphis and Salt Lake City.