KLM adds first B787-10 as Air France-KLM rejigs order book

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) has taken delivery of its first B787-10 after PH-BKA (msn 42485) was positioned from Charleston, SC to Amsterdam Schiphol on Saturday, June 29.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, KLM expects to deploy the Boeing widebody jet into service on July 2 on flights from Amsterdam Schiphol to Kilimanjaro via Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) followed by Dubai Int'l on July 3.

KLM is an existing B787 Family operator with thirteen B787-9s currently in service. However, according to an Air France-KLM statement on Friday, June 28, following a revision of the group's orders, KLM will now assume Air France's outstanding B787 order book while Air France will assume KLM's outstanding A350 backlog.

As such, KLM's B787 fleet will grow to a total of twenty-one B787s by the end of 2020 to which a further six B787s, previously intended for Air France, will be added. Likewise, in the 2021-2023 timeframe, the six remaining B787s ordered for Air France will be transferred to KLM, while the seven A350-900s on order for KLM will now be moved to Air France.

"The airlines will effectively swap the remaining firm Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 orders between them, in order to realise fleet efficiencies through harmonisation and accelerated growth of similar aircraft at both airlines," the group said.



KLM intends to use the incoming B787s to renew its current widebody fleet which includes eight A330-200s, five A330-300s, three B747-400s, seven B747-400(M)s, fifteen B777-200(ER)s, and fourteen B777-300(ER)s.

CH AVIATION