KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
global flag carrier, national size, NL.
- Ownership
- mixed, flag carrier
- Starting fleet
- 6 x Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas, 4 x Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, 6 x Vickers Viscount 800
- Bases
- AMS
- Starting routes
- AMS-IDL, AMS-YUL, AMS-LHR, AMS-ORY, AMS-FRA, AMS-CPH
- Confidence
- estimated (to be verified)
Fleets and networks are approximations for the prototype and are scaled to the model. Source: General knowledge, approximate. Needs a primary source before release.
Evidence
Facts about this airline that were checked against published sources. Fleet counts for 1958 could not be sourced for any airline, so the starting fleets above remain estimates.
| Field | Year | Checked value | Agreement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| founding / ownership | 1958 | Founded 7 October 1919. After Albert Plesman died on 31 December 1953 the Dutch government raised its stake to two thirds, with the board remaining under private shareholders; state stake cut to 49.5 percent by 1966. | confirmed | en.wikipedia.org |
| orders: Douglas DC-8 | 1960 | KLM chose the DC-8 in late 1955. First DC-8 introduced March 1960. Order size not found. | close | en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org |
| fleet by type | 1958 | No fleet count found. Viscount 800 introduced on European routes in 1957; DC-7C was the last piston type; Constellation versions added during the 1950s; Amsterdam, Anchorage, Tokyo route opened 1 November 1958. | new | en.wikipedia.org |
| traffic: revenue passenger km | 1960 | 2,660 million revenue passenger-km in 1960 (1,485 million in 1955). KLM ranked 11th in the world in 1961. | new | en.wikipedia.org, americanbusinesshistory.org |