KLM History: The Oldest Airline Still Flying Under Its Name – Airline Employee Shop

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines History

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919 and is the oldest airline still operating under its original name. Here's a short history of KLM, plus the KLM collection that celebrates it.

Founding and first flights (1919–1929)

In September 1919 Queen Wilhelmina granted the new company its "Royal" title. KLM was founded on October 7, 1919, by eight Dutch businessmen, with Albert Plesman as its first director. On May 17, 1920, pilot Jerry Shaw flew a leased de Havilland DH.16, G-EALU, from London's Croydon Airport to Amsterdam. An experimental flight to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta, left on October 1, 1924. Regular Amsterdam to Batavia service began in September 1929.

Record flights (1930–1945)

In the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race from London to Melbourne, KLM's Douglas DC-2 "Uiver," PH-AJU, won the handicap section and finished second overall while carrying passengers. In December 1934 the Fokker F.XVIII "Snip" made KLM's first experimental transatlantic flight, from Amsterdam to Curaçao. KLM's first Douglas DC-3s arrived by ship on September 11, 1936.

Jumbos and partners (1946–2003)

KLM ordered the Boeing 747 on March 6, 1967, and put it into service in 1971. The current headquarters in Amstelveen, near Schiphol, opened in March 1971. In July 1989 KLM bought a 20 percent stake in Northwest Airlines, and in January 1993 the U.S. government granted the two airlines antitrust immunity.

Air France–KLM and a century of flying (2004–today)

KLM and Air France signed a merger agreement on September 30, 2003, and the Air France–KLM holding company was completed in 2004. KLM joined the SkyTeam alliance on September 13, 2004. In 2019 KLM celebrated its 100th anniversary.

A few things collectors love

  • KLM has given World Business Class passengers miniature Delft Blue houses filled with Dutch genever since about 1952. Since 1994 the newest house number matches the airline's age, with a new one unveiled each October 7.
  • When the Uiver got lost in a storm and landed on the Albury racecourse in Australia, townspeople pulled it out of the mud the next morning.
  • The original 1919 KLM logo, by Dirk Roosenburg, wove the letters K, L and M together with wings and a crown.

Shop KLM

Browse KLM logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the KLM collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for the KLM fan in your life.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest and is not affiliated with or endorsed by KLM.