KLM is scaling up its intercontinental operations for winter 2021, with the announcement of six routes.
KLM Boeing 777-300ER arriving at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The new routes are confirmed for the winter schedule (31 October 2021 to 26 March 2022).
KLM will add the following routes:
- Mombasa (Kenya)
- Orlando (United States of America)
- Cancun (Mexico)
- Bridgetown (Barbados)
- Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Phuket (Thailand)
Planned operation is as follows:
| Flight number | From/to | Days of the week | Departure time | Arrival time |
|
Mombasa (Operating with a Boeing 787-9) |
||||
| KL0563 | Amsterdam-Mombasa | Thurs/Sun | 10:10 | 20:50 |
| KL0563 | Mombasa-Nairobi | Thurs/Sun | 21:40 | 22:50 |
| KL0563 | Nairobi-Amsterdam | Thurs/Sun | 23:59 | 06:25+1 |
|
Orlando (Operating with a Boeing 787-9) |
||||
| KL0625 | Amsterdam-Orlando | Mon/Sat | 11:15 | 15:00 |
| KL0625 | Orlando-Miami | Mon/Sat | 16:45 | 17:50 |
| KL0625 | Miami-Amsterdam | Mon/Sat | 18:50 | 09:15+1 |
| KL0629 | Amsterdam-Miami | Thurs/Fri | 10:40 | 14:40 |
| KL0629 | Miami-Orlando | Thurs/Fri | 16:30 | 17:35 |
| KL0629 | Orlando-Amsterdam | Thurs/Fri | 18:35 | 08:40+1 |
|
Cancun (Operating with a Boeing 787-9) |
||||
| KL0689 | Amsterdam-Cancun | Tue/Thurs/Sat | 10:40 | 15:40 |
| KL0690 | Cancun-Amsterdam | Tue/Thurs/Sat | 17:40 | 08:50+1 |
|
Bridgetown and Port of Spain (Operating with an Airbus A330) |
||||
| KL0781 | Amsterdam-Bridgetown | Mon/Thurs/Sat | 12:25 | 16:45 |
| KL0781 | Bridgetown-Port of Spain | Mon/Thurs/Sat | 17:50 | 19:00 |
| KL0781 | Port of Spain-Amsterdam | Mon/Thurs/Sat | 20:35 | 10:30+1 |
|
Phuket (Operating with a Boeing 777-300ER) |
||||
| KL0801 | Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur | Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat | 20:50 | 15:45+1 |
| KL0801 | Kuala Lumpur-Phuket | Tue/Thurs/Sat/Sun | 17:05 | 17:35 |
| KL0802 | Phuket-Kuala Lumpur | Tue/Thurs/Sat/Sun | 20:00 | 22:30 |
| KL0802 | Kuala Lumpur-Amsterdam | Tue/Thurs/Sat/Sun | 23:50 | 05:55+1 |
You’ll note that a lot of these routes are combined with other routes. Mombasa will be combined with Nairobi on the return journey to Amsterdam. This also applies to Orlando and Miami. Phuket will be served both to and from Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur. Bridgetown and Port of Spain will be combined and Cancun will be a non-stop connection.
KLM will continue to grow its network where it believes it can see a recovery in progress, with the airline offering its customers the biggest network possible.
To ensure this happens, KLM argues its network planning must be flexible, enabling KLM to respond quickly to market opportunities. With this expansion, the network of destinations will almost reach its pre-Covid-19 level, only utilising less capacity, and fewer frequencies and aircraft. Once demand increases, we will operate more flights and/or deploy larger aircraft.
In Quotes
KLM CEO Pieter Elbers said:
For KLM, this represents the next, significant step towards rebuilding its network for the benefit of our customers. As many as 99 destinations in Europe will be served during summer and, with this latest expansion, KLM’s intercontinental network will also be significantly strengthened for winter.
Hoping for a leisure-based Winter
The routes that KLM is launching (or adding on as tag-on flights) show that the airline is hoping to gain traffic on its leisure traffic routes, rather than business routes. The expansion seems to be a measured one, using the existing capacity to expand and fly to destinations, whilst only needing to commit one extra aircraft for its direct Amsterdam-Cancun route.
Of course, the trick will be getting passengers to travel on these routes, whilst hoping that quarantine and entry regulations change to a more passenger-friendly entry method.
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