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At press time , the Dutch flag carrier was poised to get three more A321neos by the end of 2024 . These planes are set to initially operate on short routes across Europe , including the inaugural to Copenhagen ( CPH ), which took place on September 16 , followed by Berlin ( BER ), and Stockholm ( ARN ).
THE AIRBUS FACTOR
Until a few years ago , many European airlines were loyal Boeing customers . Today , ITA Airways , Iberia , and Finnair fly 100 % Airbus fleets , excluding
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their regional services , which the last two operate with ATRs and E-jets . Airbus ’ products have slowly replaced Boeing ’ s on that side of the ocean , and KLM is no exception .
Today , KLM flies A330s , B777s , and B787s to its long-haul connections . KLM ’ s Boeing 747 was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic , being retired at the end of October 2020 . Both 777- 200ERs and 747-400Fs are due to be replaced , and KLM has opted to go with the competition in the form of the A350 and the A350F , leaving only the 787-9 and 787-10
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as Boeing ’ s ambassadors in its fleet . In the upcoming years , the airline will be adding five more Boeing 787-10 , enhancing its capacity on high-density routes .
It ’ s not only Europe . All over the world , airlines like Delta , Icelandair , EVA Air have decided to replace some of their existing Boeings with their European counterparts . As Boeing faces its many struggles , we can expect Airbus to build a solid lead in both the narrow- and the wide-body market . And KLM is perhaps the best example of this global shift .
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14 KLM and Airbus celebrating the delivery of the new aircraft in Hamburg . Photo : KLM |