A History of

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

by Iqbal H. Nanjee

Aviation History

In 1919, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded. KLM is Dutch for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (literally: Royal Aviation Company). KLM is the oldest airline in the world. It also gives its name to the oldest international scheduled service operated by any airline under the same name. In 1920, it made its first scheduled flight between Amsterdam and London - service that it continues to provide to this day. This is the oldest airline still operating under its original name. In the year 2004 KLM was merged to form AIR FRANCE-KLM group . In that first year, when flying was still very special - KLM transported 345 passengers and 25,000 kilos of mail and cargo, though KLM stopped operating during the Second World War, apart from the operations in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. The first KLM flight was on 17 May 1920, which carried two British journalists and a number of newspapers from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam, by an Aircraft Transport and Travel Airco DH.16, callsign G-EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In that year KLM carried 440 passengers and 22 tons of freight. In 1921 KLM started scheduled services. By 1926 it was offering flights to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Bremen, Copenhagen and Malm, using primarily Fokker F2 & Fokker F.III. From the very start, KLM spread its wings and grew rapidly. In 1924, the first KLM plane departed for Indonesia (which was a Dutch colony) and to its capital, Batavia - now called Jakarta. Infact, it was an adventurous trip which took weeks to complete. An example at right showing usage of registered Postcard bearing postage 2.7g, cancelled by the Special POSTVLUCHT handstamp, dated 1 October 1927. This postcard also bears the registration label of the Amesterdam CS on front. Black and Orange etiquette arrival canceller of WELTEVREDEN dated October 10, 1927 shown on the same side. This mail was returned by the ordinary mail on October 13, arriving LONDON after re-direction on November 14, 1927. Arrival datestamp ERROR INVERTED 13 instead of 27 as year. This usage of FIRST FLIGHT is the EARLIEST examples known. In 1929, Intercontinental service to the Netherlands East Indies operation begining and became part of KLM's regular scheduled service, which was continued for several years. This was the world's longest scheduled air route. KLM used Fokker crafts, Fokker F.VIIb, although the first non-scheduled KLM flight had been in 1924 by Fokker F7 registration H-NACC piloted by Van der Hoop.

In 1930 KLM carried 15,143 passengers. The Douglas DC-2 was introduced on the Batavia service in 1934. This Douglas DC-2 aircraft Uiver won second position in the MacRobertson Air Race from RAF Mildenhall, England, which was held in Melbourne in 1934. The first transatlantic KLM test flight was operated between Amsterdam and Curaao in December 1934 using the Fokker F-XVIII "Snip. The DC-2s on the service via Batavia to Sydney were replaced by Douglas DC-3 aircraft which were delivered in 1936. Registered cover from Medan franked witht 1.15c dated November 11, 1928. Arrival Amesterdam November 16 to Sutton Coldfield on November 19. These examples bears a 1928 Provisional Issues (surcharged new values optd on 1912-23 issues) which were used for the First Flight between Medan -Batavia. It was also used for franking letters carried to Europe by Koppen and van de Hoop on October 26, 1928. Withdrawn on January 31, 1930. Only one Fokker XX- PH-AIZ - 'Zilvermeeuw' = 'Silver Gull' was purchased by KLM in August 1933. The new aircraft cruised at 170mph and carried 12 passengers. KLM decided to use PH-AIZ on a fast Christmas run to the Far East in 1933. It left Amsterdam on 18th December and arrived 4 days later in Batavia on 22nd. Special covers were issued and an aircraft cachet in either red or violet was used. The F.XX Zilvermeeuw was the first Fokker commercial aircraft with a retractable undercarriage. Apart from the engine attachment it was a well-streamlined aircraft, but the age of all-metal airliners had arrived, and Fokker was left behind. The aircraft carried 12 passengers at a cruising speed of 270km/hr. KLM was the first airline to serve Manchester's new Ringway airport from June 1938. Douglas DC5 was operated by the KLM only. The KLM was the only civilian airline which operated DC-5 in the Dutch East and West Indies between May 1940 and late 1941. A number of KLM aircraft (mostly DC-3's and a few DC-2's) were enroute to or from the Far East when the Germans invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. Five DC-3s and one DC-2 managed to escape to England. During the entire war these KLM planes and KLM crew would fly the infamous Bristol-Lisbon scheduled passenger flights under BOAC registration. The PH-ALI 'Ibis', then registered as G-AGBB, was attacked three times by the Luftwaffe: on 15 November 1942 and 19 April 1943 and finally on 1 June 1943 (fatal to passengers and

crew, see BOAC Flight 777). Some KLM aircraft with crew ended up in the Australia-Indonesia region where they aided in transporting people that were escaping the Japanese aggressor in that area. Following the Second World War, in 1946, KLM was the first European airline to start scheduled service across the ocean to New York. FLIGHT PLAN

TIIMELINE: 1919-1946
Sep 12, 1919 -Oct 7, 1919 --

Queen Wilhelmina awarded KLM - yet to be founded - its "Royal" designation. Dutch Royal Airlines for the Netherlands and its Colonies (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Kolonin - KLM) was founded. The first KLM office opened on Heerengracht in The Hague. KLM's first pilot, Jerry Shaw, flew from London to Schiphol in a leased De Havilland DH-16. Following a winter hiatus, KLM resumed service with its own pilots and aircraft: the Fokker F-II and F-III. KLM opened its first passenger office on Leidseplein in Amsterdam. KLM initiated its first intercontinental flight, from Amsterdam to Batavia (Colonial Jakarta) in a Fokker F-VII.

Oct 21, 1919 -May 17, 1920 -Apr 4, 1921 --

May 9, 1921 -Oct 1, 1924 --

Sep, 1929

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KLM started regular, scheduled service between Amsterdam to Batavia. Until the outbreak of the Second World War, this was the world's longest-distance scheduled service. KLM flew Christmas and New Year's cards from Amsterdam to Batavia in a record time of just over four days in a Fokker F-XVIII Pelikaan. The mail arrived in time for Christmas. The Douglas DC-2 Uiver won a "handicap" race - a flight with passengers and cargo - from London to Melbourne. KLM made its first transatlantic flight, from Amsterdam to Curacao in a Fokker F-XVIII Snip. KLM resumed service following the Second World War, starting with domestic flights. KLM initiated scheduled service between Amsterdam and New York using the Douglas DC-4 Rotterdam.

Dec 1933

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Oct 1934 Dec 1934 Sep 1945

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May 21, 1946 --

Few Illustrated examples of Postmarks are shown below:STVLUCH T PO

NE
D - I N D IE

17 OCT 27
BA
TAVIA

632 /
sorting marking applied before despatch. HS Error making 9 instead of 2

TAVI BA

AM S T E

PO

STJAG

NE

D E RL AN D
M DA P

_ 5.2.31.12.1N

Special Postmarks
BA

AV

DEC

9 33

IA

DE