After decades of operating Boeing aircraft in the short- and medium-haul segment, KLM has chosen Airbus models to serve its intra-European markets. The airline has already released its new A321neo into commercial service and will gradually retire its aging Boeing 737 Next Generation fleet.
The first commercial flight was KL1267 in an Airbus A321neo registered PH-AXA and christened ‘Swallowtail’, which took off from Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport at 07:45 local time on 16 September and landed at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark at 08:40, after 55 minutes.
In addition to the Danish capital, KLM’s A321neo will fly to Berlin-Brandenburg and Stockholm-Arlanda, then join Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Vienna and Prague in its network. The 227-seat A320neo also has a capacity of 227 seats, and the airline is also adding the smaller A320neo.
Air France-KLM ordered 100 Airbus 320neo family aircraft with 60 purchase options to be distributed across KLM, Transavia and Transavia France, the Franco-Dutch carrier is modernising the narrowbody fleet of these three airlines with newer aircraft that reduce carbon emissions and consume less fuel compared to the aircraft they are replacing.
