CRUISING THE PAST: KLM – THE OLDEST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD GOES WITH BIO-FUEL.
Dutch airline company KLM inaugurates a biofuel flight on one of its passenger carrying 747’s – a combination of 50% biofuel and 50% jet fuel. The biofuel being used in this KLM flight will be made from camelina, a feedstock that produces 84% fewer emissions than regular jet fuel and has proven to be a low-impact crop, requiring less water and fertilizer and can grow in areas where food crops won’t be displaced. KLM makes airline history.
CRUISING THE FUTURE: On Nov. 23, Dutch airline KLM completed its first Boeing 747 test flight using bio-fuel with passengers on board. The demonstration flight was carried out at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam powered by biokerosene, an equal mix of sustainable bio-fuels and traditional kerosene. As the airline industry moves toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the demonstration flight marks the first ever flight in Europe on biokerosene, a fuel KLM has been exploring since 2007.
1936 – Successor DC-2 the DC-3 – KLM led the field in Europe, scoring another first with the successor to the DC-2, the DC-3.
The same day, the airline announced a partnership with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates to form the SkyEnergy consortium to lead sustainability in aviation.
KLM – One of the first carriers to offer Jet service Trans-Atlantic.
“The Netherlands should make good use of this leading position to ensure clean, silent and sustainable air transport worldwide,” said KLM Royal Dutch Airlines President & CEO Peter Hartman. “This is technically feasible. We have demonstrated that it is possible. Government, industry and society at large must now join forces to ensure that we quickly gain access to a continuous supply of biofuel.”
An excellent YOUTUBE video look at KLM’s history.
The SkyEnergy venture will receive environmental advice from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). KLM’s president emphasized the importance of preserving forest and water resources and biodiversity.
1926 – A heated cabin – KLM early innovations – KLM regularly added new destinations to its network. The more northerly cities were not forgotten. Services to Malmo were started in 1926. A heated cabin helped to make the journey more comfortable.
HISTORY OF KLM – KLM was founded on 7 October 1919, making it the oldest air carrier in the world still operating under its original name, though the company 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, from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam carrying two British journalists and a number of newspapers.
It was flown by an Aircraft Transport and Travel Airco DH.16, callsign G-EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In 1920 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 Malmo; using primarily Fokker F2 & Fokker F.III. KLM was also the first airline to fly to Manchester Airport, using a DC-2 via Doncaster.
